


Wrong Species

by TVland4ever



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Age Difference, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Human Dean Winchester, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Interspecies Sex, M/M, Omega Castiel, Pack Dynamics, Reincarnation, Slow Build, Soulmates, Time Skips, Underage Sex, Werewolf Castiel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2018-02-23 11:37:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 24
Words: 90,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2546144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVland4ever/pseuds/TVland4ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean spends a few days at his family's cabin in the woods, when during a storm, a little wolf comes to his doorstep. Dean lets it inside the cabin to warm up and ends up taking it with him as his pet, when he returns home. Little does he know that this animal is far from an ordinary wolf and that it will be far from just a pet for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On Your Doorstep

**Author's Note:**

> Dean is twenty six at the beginning of the story and Cas is only eight. Nothing sexual happens between them until a few years pass first; however, Cas will still be a minor, when it happens. So, beware of the warning! Read the tags, before you read the story to make sure of what you're getting yourselves into! If this isn't your kind of thing, please don't read! To the rest of you, enjoy! :-D

It’s freezing tonight. The storm has been going on for days and Dean realizes that it was probably wrong of him to come at the cabin in the middle of winter. He’s sitting in an armchair by the fireplace and looks up as suddenly lightning illuminates the sky and the room. If this keeps up for any longer, he’ll run out of supplies. Hopefully, the storm will pass and he’ll go back home to Lawrence soon.

This was supposed to be an escape that would last just for the weekend, but today is already Wednesday. He can’t say that his brother didn’t warn him about the weather. He just hopes that Bobby won’t be too grumpy about the days of work he’s missed.

For the past few hours, there’s been nothing but the sound of rain and thunder filling the cabin. Dean likes this silence. Back home, there’s always someone yelling, making noise; he feels peaceful here. If he wasn’t worried about his job and the fact that he’s running out of supplies, he wouldn’t mind staying here for much longer than this.

Dean is twenty six years old and he’s been working at his uncle’s garage for the past eight years. If somebody asked him, he’d tell them that he loves working on cars, but the truth is that his real passion is something else entirely. He loves writing. Unfortunately, his family didn’t really have the money to send him to college and so, Dean decided to make writing his hobby. He needed to be realistic. It’s not like he could make money out of it -he doesn’t think he’s that good- but he likes making up stories and lose himself in them. For him, it’s his getaway from his real problems. He’ll probably never publish them, but he doesn’t mind. That was never his goal. These stories were always just for him. Not even his brother has ever read any of his work. Dean doubts he even knows he’s a writer. There was only one girl that he ever showed some of them; Lisa. Lisa and Dean were dating back in high school and they were really in love, but then Lisa went to college and naturally, they had to break up. After her, Dean has been mostly on his own. There have been a few other girls, but nothing serious. Dean isn’t really the relationship type. That’s another difference he has from Sam.

Sam is Dean’s younger brother by four years. He has always been the smart one in the family and that’s how he ended up in Stanford on a full scholarship, studying pre-law. Sam always dreamed of having a large family and Dean had no doubt that his brother’s dream would eventually come true; especially after he met Sam’s girlfriend, Jess. If Dean ever decided to have a family, he’d like to do it with someone like her. His brother is really lucky to have Jess and they seem perfect together. So, it wasn’t a surprise to anyone, when they announced that they were getting engaged.

 _Shit_ , Dean thinks. “The engagement is this Saturday,” he mutters as he stands up from his seat. What if he’s still trapped up here and doesn’t make it to his little brother’s engagement party? All he ever wanted was to come to the family cabin just for a weekend and work on his writing. His mother will be definitely pissed at him, if he misses the engagement. At the thought, Dean starts moving nervously around the cabin, when he hears a strange sound.

 _What’s that sound?_ he wonders. It sounds like a wounded animal or something. Like someone is whimpering. Dean tries to locate the source of the sound, when he gets close to the front door and then he hears it again, this time clearer. _It’s definitely an animal_ , he thinks. He hesitates to open the door, ‘cause he doesn’t really know what it could be. It could be something dangerous; it might even attack him. He stands with his ear attached to the door, trying to figure out what kind of animal it is that makes that sound. Suddenly, white light fills the room and a few seconds later a loud thunder shakes the whole cabin. Dean, surprised by it, moves away from the door and then the whimpering from the other side starts again, this time louder and more persistent. It sounds like whatever this is, it’s crying and it’s scared of the storm. Dean hears the animal scratching on the door, trying to get inside and his heart breaks. He can’t leave it suffer out there. He needs to open the door. If it attacks him, he knows that there is a baseball bat a few feet away from him. He’ll reach for it and hit it with it; but something in his gut tells him that he shouldn’t be afraid of what’s standing outside his door.

With hesitant moves, Dean reaches for the doorknob and then he slowly starts opening the door. Whatever it is, standing outside, stops scratching at it and when Dean finally opens it completely wide, he is shocked to find a small beautiful black wolf, staring back at him with scared blue eyes. Dean notices that the animal is wet to the core and it can’t stop shaking violently from the cold. He doesn’t know what to do. If he makes a move, the little wolf might attack him, but then again it looks so vulnerable and in need of some warmth that Dean doubts that it will. This wolf can’t be too old, ‘cause it’s as big as a small dog and doesn’t look aggressive at all.

Dean then decides that it’s safe to move closer to it and kneels in front of the animal.  
“Hey, little buddy!” he says and the little wolf tilts its head to the side, watching him carefully.

“You want to come inside to warm up?” Dean asks as if the animal would answer him. Suddenly, there’s another lightning and thunder and the wolf runs inside the cabin and hides under the couch, close to the fireplace.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Dean mutters and closes the door again. With steady steps he moves towards the fireplace and then sits again in the armchair he’d been sitting in before. The little wolf is staring at him from his place under the couch and covers its snout with its paws. Dean is staring back at it and patiently waits for its next move.

 

Half an hour later and none of them has made a move. The only light that fills the room now, apart from the occasional lightning, comes from the fireplace. Dean sighs deeply and moves to throw another log in the fire and then decides to give the little animal some space, ‘cause it looks like it’s going to have a heart attack anytime now from its fear. So, he leaves the room and goes to the kitchen to get something to eat instead. The moment he opens the fridge, however, he notices an unopened bottle of milk and from the kitchen’s door, he looks back at the little wolf under the couch that’s still staring at him.

 _It must be hungry_ , he realizes and then takes the milk out of the fridge and starts looking for a bowl or a deeper plate than the one he usually uses for his own food to put it in. Once he finds one, he walks again towards the wolf and places the plate right in front of the fireplace and then he starts pouring the milk inside it. Dean, still crouched in front of the plate, notices that the little wolf is staring first at him and then at the plate. It looks like it really wants to approach and drink the milk, but it’s afraid of him and so, stays at its place. Thus, Dean gets up and goes to find something for himself to eat and leaves it alone.

Once Dean is gone, the small animal emerges carefully from its hiding spot and approaches the plate with the milk. Hesitantly, it lowers its head and takes a few licks, but not much later, it starts devouring it. Soon, it looks like it is relaxing; the fire warms and dries its fur and the wolf gets sleepy. Slowly, its eyes start to close and it finally allows itself to relax completely, lying down on the floor.

When Dean returns to the room a few minutes later, he finds the little animal asleep in front of the fireplace and his heart warms at the sight. It looks so cute and vulnerable that all he wants to do is take it in his arms and hug it closely to his body; but, of course, he would never do that. He’d only startle it from its sleep and make it feel afraid all over again. So, instead, he walks slowly to the couch and lies down, all the while staring at the peacefully sleeping wolf, until his eyes start to close too and he can’t keep them open anymore. Not long after that, he throws himself into a deep, dreamless sleep.

 

~*~

 

Michael is pacing nervously the room. It has been ten hours since Castiel’s disappearance. Their father is still unaware of this, but he’s afraid that if they don’t find his little brother soon, he’ll have to tell him. _Where could Cas have possibly gone to? Why is all this happening? What if he’s hurt?_ No, he can’t think that. Cas is fine and they’ll soon find him. He needs to believe that or he’ll go nuts.

“Michael?” Gabriel says in a breathless voice, the moment he enters the room.

“What’s wrong? Did you find him?” Michael asks impatiently, when he sees his brother.

“No… he’s nowhere to be found. We lost his scent and his trail, the moment the rain got stronger. Michael, Cas has shifted into his wolf form. He was already too far, when we realized he was missing and we started looking for him. We looked everywhere from the point his scent stopped, but we couldn’t find him. We’ll start looking again when the storm passes. Right now, it’s too dangerous to be outside, whether we’re in our wolf form or we drive in our cars,” Gabriel explains and runs his right hand through his wet locks of hair. He looks totally disheveled; he’s wet all over and there’s mud on his clothes and shoes.

“Gabriel, he’s just a little boy. We can’t just leave him out there, in this weather- and you know how Cas is; if he’s shifted into his wolf form, it will be really hard for him to shift back to his human one. We need to find him. He might be in danger,” Michael says in a desperate voice.

“Michael, we’re all worn out. There’s nothing we can do for now. At least not in this storm,” Gabriel reasons.

“Do you understand what could happen, if Cas falls in the hands of someone from another pack? Joshua examined him the other day and told dad that he’s probably going to be an omega, judging from his body type. They could rape him, Gabe, hurt him- I… I can’t let that happen. And what if he comes across a human, huh? They could shoot him, thinking he’s just a wolf. Cas has never left the pack lands; he doesn’t know of the dangers that are lurking out there,” Michael says and then sits on his little brother’s bed, burying his face in his hands.

He’s been in Cas’ room all day. He couldn’t go with the others to look for Cas, or his father would know that his youngest was missing. But, maybe now it’s time to tell him. They really need to find Castiel, before it’s too late.

“We need to tell dad,” Gabriel mutters as he takes Cas’ favorite stuffed animal from the nightstand next to his bed. It was Michael’s gift to him for his fifth birthday, three years ago.

Michael eyes the toy carefully and then he shudders.  
“I know… I’m going now,” he answers and gets up from the bed.

Gabriel puts his hand on his brother’s shoulder and stops him before he leaves the room.  
“Michael, we’ll find him- I promise,” he says and looks sadly into his brother’s eyes.

“I know,” Michael agrees and then walks out of the room.

 

~*~

**_  
_**

When the next morning comes, the storm has quieted down. Sunlight comes through the window and hits Dean on his face, making him stir on the couch, slowly waking up. His body feels so stiff. Why the hell did he sleep here and didn’t go to bed? Oh, that’s right; he was too busy watching the little wolf sleeping that he fell asleep himself, without even getting a blanket. But he still feels warm. That’s weird; he should be freezing. The fire must certainly be nothing but charcoal and ashes by now.

Tiredly, he opens his eyes to see that indeed there is no fire burning at the fireplace and there’s also no wolf in front of it. _Shit_ , Dean panics. _Where could have the little one gone to?_ he wonders, but before he can ask himself any further, he feels something stir close to his ribs and then he looks down.

To his surprise, he finds the small animal curled up to his side, with its face up against his own chest, while his left arm is holding it in place. He hadn’t realized until now that he was touching the animal’s fur with his hand, but now he understands why he wasn’t cold all this time.

Not knowing what else to do, Dean decides to get up and pulls his arm back from where it was touching the small wolf. The movement startles the little one and suddenly it stirs completely awake, looking up at Dean’s eyes. Dean holds his breath and waits for the animal to attack him or something, but instead the wolf gets to its feet and then starts rubbing its head happily against Dean’s chest.

 _What the hell?_ Dean asks himself, panicking, but then relaxes into the wolf’s touch and returns the affection, running his hand through its beautiful black fur. The little wolf immediately hums in contentment and licks Dean’s face, making him laugh despite himself, while continuing his caresses on the soft sleek fur.

“Good morning, little one,” he says and smiles.  
“You look happy, today. Are you glad that the storm is finally over?” Dean asks as he caresses the wolf and the wolf purrs against his hand like a cat.  
“Yeah, I know- me too. We can go home, now. You can return to the forest and find your mom or whomever and I can get back to my own family, before my mom gets mad. Trust me, you don’t want to see Mary pissed,” he says and smiles.

Suddenly, the wolf tenses and buries its face against Dean’s chest, making itself as small as possible to the man’s side.  
“What’s wrong, little one? Why are you frightened all of the sudden? Did you hear something that scared you?” Dean asks and runs his hand through the fur on top of the animal’s head and scratches behind its ears.

“Hey what’s wrong? Are you hungry? Do you want the rest of the milk? Let me get it for you-” Dean says and tries to get up, but the moment he sits up on the couch, the wolf climbs on his lap and curls itself in a small ball.

“Okay, I guess milk can wait,” Dean mutters and runs his hand again through the fur.

 

An hour later, not much has changed. Dean is up and moving of course, but the wolf keeps following him everywhere he goes and doesn’t let him take a step without it. Dean is trying to load his car with his things, to leave the cabin, before the weather gets bad again, but the little animal is determined not to be left behind.

After Dean has locked the cabin and once he puts the last of his things in the car, he crouches down in front of the wolf and talks to it softly.  
“Hey, buddy. I need to go now. You must go find your family- I can’t take you with me, you belong in the woods. There are no wolves living in the cities,” he says and caresses its fur, while the wolf makes whimpering sounds like its crying.

“I’m sorry, but this is goodbye-” Dean says and gets up. He takes a few steps towards his car and when he looks back, the wolf is still right behind him, following him like a dog.

“Please, don’t make me feel bad about this- You need to stay here. I don’t know, if you’re confusing me with your mom or something, but I have nothing to offer you. You have to stay here,” Dean explains as if the wolf can understand him, but the little one comes even closer and entangles itself with Dean’s legs, refusing to let go.

“Let me go!” Dean protests and in his attempt to disentangle the wolf from his legs, he kicks it and it falls to the ground, looking hurt as hell, while staying frozen at its place.

“I’m sorry-” Dean mutters and hurriedly gets in the driver’s seat of his beloved Impala and closes the door. The moment he’s inside, he lets his head drop on the stirring weal and sighs deeply, trying to calm himself, when suddenly he hears the little wolf scratching at the side door, asking him to open up.

Without sparing a glance to it, he starts up his car and then presses the gas pedal. Not four hundred feet later, however, he looks in the rear-view mirror and sees the wolf running after the car, chasing it and it breaks his heart, making him immediately hit the brake. The car comes to a stop and Dean with no second thought gets out of the car, only to have the wolf jump in his arms. Dean holds the little one close to his chest and kisses it on the top of its head.

“I’m sorry I kicked you and then left you- I’m so sorry, buddy. You’re coming with me, okay? I won’t leave you, I promise,” he says and then enters his car with the whimpering wolf in his arms. When he closes the door, he puts the small animal in the seat beside him, so that he can drive, but the little one climbs back on his lap and curls itself there in a ball, not letting go of its new friend.

“I guess I’ll be driving with a wolf in my lap, then- Great,” Dean mutters, unable to stop the smile that is forming on his lips as he caresses the black fur, before he starts the car again. He is going to have a lot of explaining to do for his new pet.


	2. Becoming a Pet

_…TWO WEEKS LATER…_

There is no better way than being woken up with kisses. Her hair tickles his skin, while she playfully catches his earlobe between her teeth. Her sweet smell consumes him and his body starts to wake up in the best of ways. He starts feeling aroused and he raises his hand from where it lies at his side to touch her; feel her velvety skin and when he does, all he can think about is… fur.

 _It’s fur_ , Dean realizes.  
“Oh my God, Jimmy! Stop doing that! How many times have I told you, huh?” Dean startles awake and yells at the little wolf on his bed. He stumbles away from him, while dragging the bedding over his lap, trying the best way he can to hide his very obvious condition. It won’t be the first time he’ll have to take a cold shower during these two weeks.

Today, like every other morning since he took the little wolf to live with him, he wakes up with the little monster licking his face. Not a day has passed that the small animal hasn’t slept in Dean’s bed with him and Dean doesn’t really mind it, but he can’t stand waking up another day, filled with his pet’s saliva on his face.

“If you want to keep sleeping in the same bed as me, you need to stop drooling on my face. It’s gross, dude,” Dean says, making a disgusted face, while he wipes his face with the back of his hand. At his words the little wolf makes an unhappy sound, while lowering his head and steps away from Dean.

“Hey, no… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that- come here, buddy,” Dean says when he notices his pet’s reaction, and opens his arms wide for a hug. When Jimmy –like Dean named him when he realized the wolf was a _he_ \- sees the gesture, he climbs on top of Dean and buries his face happily in his master’s chest. Dean immediately wraps his arms around him and caresses his soft fur.

“What’s up, buddy? Are you hungry? Is it time for your milk yet? Hmm?” Dean says and kisses the top of Jimmy’s head.  
“Just give me a second to get up and I’ll give it to you, okay? When you’re done, I’ll take you to Mary,” he says, while caressing the animal’s fur and then, the wolf looks up at him sadly.

“Don’t give me that look. You know I can’t take you with me to work. Besides, you like spending time with her, don’t be a liar. Yesterday, I couldn’t get you to leave my parents’ house- I’ll be back before you know it,” Dean says and kisses Jimmy’s head again, making the little wolf purr with delight.

“Let’s feed you already. I need to take a shower now or I’ll be late for work,” Dean adds as he gets up and then carries Jimmy to the kitchen. When he reaches it, he puts the small animal down, gets the milk from the fridge and then fills Jimmy’s bowl with it. The second he’s done pouring the milk, the little wolf runs to the bowl and starts drinking it hungrily.

“Bon appetite! I’ll be back in ten- be done by then,” Dean tells the wolf as if the animal would understand.

Dean doesn’t really know why he keeps talking to him so much, but there are times that he is certain that his pet understands him. Jimmy is intelligent like that. He’s not like other animals and Dean knew this from the second he saw him. And every day that passes he becomes more certain of it.

 

Twenty minutes later and Dean rings the doorbell at his parents’ house, with Jimmy standing right next to him, rubbing affectionately his head on Dean’s leg. A moment passes and his mother opens the door.

“Oh, hey, honey! Good morning- I see you brought the little one again,” Mary says and smiles up at her son, while raising one eyebrow.

“’Morning, mom… Sorry- you know I can’t leave him alone at home. Last time I did, he was crying for hours after I returned and I couldn’t get him off of me. He gets really lonely, when he’s on his own. Not even leaving the TV on helps. I don’t know what else to do,” Dean says and crouches down next to his pet and caresses it tenderly.

“Don’t worry, angel. Besides, I love having him here. He keeps me company as well. He’s such a sweet little thing. I still can’t believe how a wolf can be like that. Not even dogs are so affectionate,” she says, while looking at Jimmy and smiling.

“Yeah, I know. He’s really special! Thanks, mom; you’re a lifesaver- I’ll be back at eight to pick him up,” Dean informs her and turns to leave, while Mary is gathering Jimmy in her arms.

“Wait, Dean- Don’t forget he has an appointment with the vet, today. Don’t be late!”

“Oh, yeah… right! Don’t worry, I’ll be here at eight, like I promised. The appointment is on eight thirty, right?” Dean asks, while he’s about to get in the Impala.

“Yes, honey. Have a good day at work! I’ll see you later,” Mary answers and waves at her son, while, at the same time, Jimmy howls at him in Mary’s arms.

“Bye, mom… Bye, Jimmy,” Dean says and enters the car, waving at them. Not much later, he’s gone from their sight.

“Well, it’s just us now, little one! Let’s go inside, shall we?” Mary asks and kisses the little wolf on his head, while he purrs happily in her arms. Mary spares one last glance outside and then closes the door behind them. These days she can’t shake the feeling that all of them are being watched.

 

~*~

 

The house echoes with dead silence. Even though people are moving around, there’s absolutely no sound. Chuck is sitting by the window, staring outside with bloodshot eyes. Ever since his son disappeared, his worried mind hasn’t let him sleep more than two hours a night.

It’s been two weeks now. Two weeks of endless worry and nightmares. Everyone seems on edge and nobody has stopped trying to find him, but as the days pass, the less the chances of finding him are. Chuck starts to think that he might never see his beautiful Cas ever again and the thought is killing him, along with the way he’s been treating himself. Ever since Michael told him of his youngest’s disappearance, he’s barely eaten anything. He seems pale and sick all the time and has a bottle of alcohol always at his side. He feels that he has failed as a father. If Cas’ mother was still with them, this wouldn’t have happened. Why wasn’t he paying any attention to him? Why did this have to happen? But he knows why; he was so lost in the problems of the pack that he didn’t have time for his son’s games. The last time he saw him, he got annoyed by his behavior and yelled at him, leaving Cas in tears.

“Please, God! Don’t let this be the last time I see him. Bring him back to me,” Chuck prays, looking at the sky, while tears start running down his face.

“Dad?” Chuck hears Michael’s voice coming from behind him and hurriedly wipes away his tears with the back of his hand. When he turns around to face his son, all emotions are gone from his face.

“What is it? Any news?” he asks and grabs the bottle of whiskey from the desk next to him. Michael eyes the movement warily.

“Not really… I just wanted to see how you were. Dad, you need to stop drinking. You’re making yourself sick,” he says then.

“What sickens me is everyone’s incompetence to find Cas,” Chuck says and glares at his son. He still blames him for not telling him from the beginning about Castiel’s disappearance.

“We’re doing everything we can, dad, but- Balthazar thinks that he must be out of the wolf grounds. We haven’t found anything that remotely suggests that he’s dead and we spoke with every pack’s alpha. They promised that they would look everywhere in their lands. We’re still waiting for Crowley’s answer, but everyone else said that Cas never passed through their borders and they seemed sure of it. He must be in human territory,” Michael informs him and lowers his head.

“And what are you waiting for? Why aren’t you looking in their territory? If it wasn’t for my God damn leg, I wouldn’t be sitting around here all day. I can’t even drive a stupid car. I’m relying on you and your brothers for this, Michael. Don’t you get it?”

Michael glances at his father’s broken leg and feels remorse. It was his fault that Chuck broke his leg. It was during a hunt that was run by some humans, who entered their grounds, a moon back.

“Yeah, dad; I know. We’ve covered a lot of ground, but you know that their territory in the woods and beyond is vast. He could be anywhere. If he’s changed back to his human form, it is possible that he even lives among them. I don’t know-”

“No, Cas wouldn’t just abandon us. If he was back to his human form, he would try to find us. He must still be a wolf. He always needed help to shift back, and he has only shifted three times.”

“He may have found a way- If he’s in human territory, it might be a good thing. At least humans wouldn’t try to kill him, if they thought him to be one of their own,” Michael says.

“And what happens, if he changes back, huh? What if they do find out what he is? We need to find him, Michael, and fast. Go now and don’t waste any more time. I’ll be waiting…” Chuck says and turns to look again out of the window.

“Okay, dad- take care,” his son tells him after a moment and then leaves.

 

~*~

**_  
_ **

Dean pulls in the driveway of his parents’ house at eight o’clock sharp. Just like he promised he would. When he opens the driver’s door, he’s not even half way out of his car and the front door opens. Jimmy hurriedly runs towards him and climbs in his lap. Dean can’t help but laugh at that.

“Hey, buddy, did you miss me?” he asks and Jimmy licks his neck in return. Mary approaches the car, laughing at the scene in front of her.

“Just get him to the vet already. If it’s up to him, he won’t stop licking your face until tomorrow. When he realized that it was almost time for you to come, he became anxious and kept staring outside the window.”

“Is that right, Jimmy? Were you anxious to see me?” Dean says and kisses the top of his pet’s head. Jimmy just stays close to his chest.

“Bye, mom! Thanks for looking after him. I have the day off tomorrow, so I won’t bring him over. See you soon,” Dean says and waves at her, before he shuts the door. Mary just sends him a kiss and then goes back inside the house.

After she has disappeared from their sight, Dean kisses Jimmy one more time and then persuades him to sit next to him instead of on him and starts up the car. This is going to be Jimmy’s first visit to the vet.

 

When he gets to the vet, he’s just on time for his appointment and the girl at the reception informs him that he can go inside. Dean, getting a strange vibe from the two dogs that are waiting outside with their owners, is reluctant to let go of Jimmy and so, he holds him in his arms when he enters the doctor’s office.

“Dean, it’s good to see you, man,” the doctor says, as he stands up from his desk and approaches Dean, extending his hand for a handshake.

“Oh, hey, Adam! How are you doing?” Dean replies, returning the handshake.

“Good… I’m good. So, you adopted a dog?” Adam asks motioning towards Jimmy, who shifts uncomfortably in Dean’s arms.

“Not exactly… I found him in the woods. He’s a wolf.”

“A wolf? Are you kidding me? And what the hell are you doing with a wolf? Dean, he might be playful now, but when he gets a little older, I don’t think that it will be safe for you to keep him. Wolves are wild animals,” Adam tells him, concern written all over his face.

“Look, I know, okay? But Jimmy is different… He’s not like other wolves. He’s intelligent and obedient and he’s friendlier than any dog I’ve ever met,” Dean says in defense and strokes the little wolf in his arms.

“Jimmy? You named the wolf Jimmy? That is so not a wolf name or a dog name for that matter,” Adam says and laughs, earning a glare from the small creature.

“He really enjoys _‘The Tonight Show’_ with Jimmy Fallon; that’s why I called him Jimmy. I’ve noticed that whenever I turn on the TV, he likes watching Jimmy or cartoons. It’s really weird, but it’s true. I thought it was really funny, when I first realized it. He’s like sitting there, staring at the screen with wide eyes and moves his tail excitedly when the show is on,” Dean says and laughs to himself.

“So, you want me to check up on him? You have vaccinated him at least, haven’t you? For how long have you had him?” Adam asks, after Dean puts Jimmy on the examination table and Adam approaches the wolf.

“Yeah, that’s why I came. I haven’t really done anything yet. I’ve had him for two weeks now,” Dean confesses and rubs the back of his neck nervously.

“Dean, are you serious? And you went so long with a wild animal, without checking up on its health first? Do you keep him inside the house all hours of the day? How often do you touch the animal?” Adam says and starts writing something on a pad.

“Uhm… we kind of sleep in the same bed, sooo... I suppose that I have contact with him _constantly_? He’s always inside the house.”

“Oh my God, Dean! Let’s just hope he’s not infected with something that could be passed to you too. You are so irresponsible. Why didn’t you bring him earlier?” Adam says, while wearing a pair of gloves to proceed to an examination.

“I was working; I didn’t really have time for this,” Dean defends himself, while Adam starts examining Jimmy.

“From a first look, he seems to be healthy, but I need to take a blood sample, just to be sure. We’ll have the results in a couple of days. For now, I’ll just vaccinate him with the regulars I give to all pets and especially dogs. I haven’t really had the pleasure to examine a wolf before. I’ll ask a friend of mine that works at the zoo and who is more of an expert, when it comes to wild animals than I am, to see if something more is needed.” Adam says and then takes the blood sample from Jimmy, making the wolf wince in pain and turn his head to look at Dean for comfort.

“You said he’s male?” Adam asks, while trying to flip Jimmy around, but fails miserably.

“Uh… yeah. He has a little wolf… penis back there,” Dean says and flushes at his own words.

“It’s weird-” Adam comments mostly to himself, as he’s taking the wolf’s measurements.

“What’s weird? Is something wrong with him?” Dean asks anxiously.

“No, nothing’s wrong… I just think that he’s a little small for a male one,” Adam says and continues examining the wolf.

“Yeah, but he’s still young. He’ll get bigger in time.”

“Yes, of course. He can’t be older than a couple of months, judging from his size, but his shape tells me that he won’t get as big as a regular male wolf. His shape looks more female to me than male.”

“Are you kidding me? How can you tell? I swear he’s male, I checked,” Dean says watching the wolf more carefully.

“Well, when you’re in this line of work, you learn to notice things. But, anyway, it shouldn’t worry you. Nothing is wrong with him. If I’m right and he doesn’t get as big as other male wolves, it will be better for you. You might get to keep him for longer. I’m telling you, though, when he gets older and bigger, you really need to consider letting him free in the woods again or taking him to a zoo. It will be dangerous for you otherwise.” Adam advises him and then vaccinates the wolf, making him whimper.

Dean just strokes his fur soothingly and sighs deeply.  
“Yeah, I know. But I don’t see how he can suddenly change and get hostile, when he’s such a sweetheart right now.”

“He’s only a cub now, so, it’s not that surprising that he’s playful and friendly. But, like all animals, he will change when he grows older.” Adam says with certainty and then removes his gloves, stepping away from the examination table.

“So, we’re done for now. I don’t have anything else to tell you. I’ll call you in a couple of days, with the lab results and we’ll talk a little bit more about his diet and any medication that he might need to take, okay?” Adam says, sitting back at his desk.

Dean takes Jimmy in his arms again and nods.  
“I’ll wait for your phone call, then. What do I owe you?”

“Oh, you can pay me next time. I’d like to see him again. I’ll call you to bring him, when we have the results.”

“Okay, then. Bye, Adam!”

“Bye, Dean,” Adam says in return and watches the mechanic leave his office.

 _That was so weird. I can’t wait to get these results in my hands_ , he thinks to himself and sits more properly at his desk.

“Anna, bring in the next one, please,” he says, then, while pressing the button of the telephone intercom on his left. A few moments later, the door opens and a man dressed in a black suit and black shirt enters the room with a bulldog at his side.

“Hello, sir. Your name, please?” Adam asks, standing up and extending his hand for a handshake.

“The name’s Crowley. This is my dog, Juliet,” says the man in a British accent and with a smirk on his face, while he makes no move to return the handshake.

Adam draws back his hand awkwardly and sits back behind his desk.  
“Okay, Mr. Crowley. What can I do for you?”

 

Half an hour later, Crowley exits the building, whistling to himself, and makes a phone call on his cell. Juliet stares up at her master, who brings the phone to his ear, while watching the traffic on the road in front of him. Then, he suddenly speaks.  
“I found the wolf. He lives with a human,” he says and an evil smile spreads on his face.


	3. The Truth Never Stays Hidden

_…THREE WEEKS LATER…_

It’s been two weeks since that revelatory second visit to Adam’s office and Dean still can’t wrap his head around what the doctor told him about Jimmy. Apparently, Jimmy is this super rare and super cool specimen of a wolf, one that he himself has never heard of and one that Adam thought only had a place in mythology and not in real life. But then, Jimmy’s blood test results came and it turns out that he is neither a male nor a female wolf, but something called an _Omega_. A wolf that has both a male and female reproductive system. Although, Jimmy appears to be male on the outside, his chromosomes tell an entirely different story. Adam was absolutely frantic and excited when he was explaining all this to Dean, but the only thing that stuck in the mechanic’s head was that he should expect Jimmy to get into heat in a few months.

 _That’s just great_ , Dean thinks, as he stares at the sleeping wolf curled close to his body on his bed. It’s the middle of the night, but Dean doesn’t seem to be able to get any sleep and so he’s just channel surfing and keeps thinking and worrying about his pet. During the last few days Jimmy has been even clingier than usual and Dean fears what this might mean. The wolf might be closer to his heat than Adam thinks, if the symptoms he mentioned to him are anything to go by, and Dean has no clue what he is supposed to do about it, when that happens. And then, there is the other thing too. Adam said that a heat is something really painful for female animals -and apparently Omegas too- when they don’t have a partner, but it’s not like Dean can find another wolf for him to mate. And if he is honest with himself, he doesn’t like the idea of letting another wolf mate with Jimmy. He just seems too fragile and small and innocent. He doesn’t want him to start having sex just yet. And what if he gets knocked up? In the end, he might have to give him away just for good measure, for the wolf’s best care and protection and he really doesn’t want to do that.

Jimmy, as if he senses Dean’s worries, opens his eyes and looks at him with those baby blues that always make Dean’s heart melt.  
“Hey, what’s wrong, buddy? Are you okay? Why did you wake up? Did the TV wake you, huh? I’m so sorry-” Dean says in a soft voice, but then stops immediately, when he notices Jimmy looking around as if he is terrified of something and then lets him climb on his chest to lay there, while the small animal starts making soft noises like he is crying.

“Hey, baby boy, what is it? You’re scaring me,” Dean goes on, as he runs his hands through the animal’s soft fur, which for the first time doesn’t seem to help the wolf relax. Then, suddenly, a sound comes from the other room of the apartment and Dean freezes, feeling at the same time the wolf start trembling against him. Is someone in the apartment? Is that why Jimmy looks so terrified? Burglars? _Shit, shit, shit,_ Dean thinks, as he carefully disentangles himself from the small animal, earning a frightened whine, and gets up from the bed.

“Shhh… just get under the bed, it’s gonna be fine, buddy… don’t be afraid. I'll protect you, I promise,” Dean whispers to him, and then, takes him in his hands and hides him under the bed, after kissing him first on his head.

“Just stay here,” he whispers again and then carefully picks the baseball bat that’s as usual placed next to his closet and silently, he opens the bedroom’s door.

 

~*~

_…EARLIER THAT DAY…_

“Gabriel? Michael?” comes Benny’s both panicked and excited voice from afar, as he runs towards the two brothers as fast as his legs allow him in this form. They have been in the middle of the woods in their wolf forms for hours now, searching for their little brother, along with a lot of other members of the pack. When they hear Benny’s voice, however, the two shift back to their human bodies, in order to speak with him. Benny is one of the guys that were searching for Cas on the road and that had taken the cars and so, he isn’t in his wolf form right now. As he reaches them, he fights to get his breath under control again, placing his hands on his knees.

“What’s wrong, Benny? Did you find him?” Gabriel asks, his voice filled with both hope and fear, as he stands completely naked before him, just like his brother next to him. Being naked around the members of their pack isn’t a weird thing for them. Ever since they’ve started shifting, it has been only natural for them to do it in front of all the other wolves, who do the same, and they are used to it by now, since clothes don’t seem to just be lying around in the woods for when they get back in their human forms.

“For God’s sake, Benny, speak,” Michael urges him, unable to wait a moment longer to learn anything at all about his baby brother.

“We uuhh… we caught his scent,” Benny starts to say, while breathing hard.  
“We followed a trail that led to a cabin, a few miles away from here-”

“And?” Michael and Gabriel say simultaneously, sounding nervous. The wolves around them start to get closer to hear what they’re saying.

“He’s not there, but he was definitely inside- we, uh… when we reached the cabin, the door was broken and it was opened wide and so, we got in. His smell was everywhere, along with a human’s. We think that a human might have taken him inside, the night of the storm. The night that he went missing. Guys, there is something else, too- We caught more scents inside and outside of the cabin,” Benny says and looks at them with a worried look on his face.

“More humans?” Michael asks, mirroring the other’s expression.

“No. We caught the scent of werewolves and not just any scent… We recognized two of them-” Benny says.

“Who? Who the hell knows about this and hasn’t said anything? Tell me now!” Michael demands.

“They were Crowley’s men. Lucifer and Alastair, along with others- I’m guessing also from their pack.”

“I’m gonna kill them. I’m gonna rip their throats out with my bare teeth or so help me-” Michael starts to scream.

“Michael, shut up for a second,” Gabriel says, interrupting his brother.  
“Benny, what do you think? Is Cas with Crowley? Is he the one that took him? The one that kidnapped him?” he asks the other man. Panic evident in his eyes.

“I don’t think so, no… Cas’ smell was nowhere around the cabin. We were lucky to catch that faint smell coming from the inside, in the first place, because the door was open. The wind helped. Cas hasn’t been up there for many weeks; I think that he hasn’t been there since the first days of his disappearance. Or any other human for that matter. The storm helped to erase any trace of his around the area. The werewolves’ scents were fresher, though. Three weeks old tops,” Benny finishes.

“So, what does that mean?” Gabriel asks.

“The human took him, didn’t he?” Michael growls next to his brother. Gabriel’s eyes widen.

“We think that it’s very possible, yes. There were car tracks outside the cabin that weren’t ruined by the rain, leading back on the road. The other guys are still looking around the cabin, but I don’t think they’re gonna find anything. I think whoever let Cas inside that night, took him with them.”

“Who owns that cabin? Do we know?” Michael asks, then, trying to control himself and not shift because of his anger, before he gives them his orders.

“Not yet, but we can easily find out,” Benny tells him.

“Gabriel, take these wolves and go back to the pack land. Inform our father and then take as many as you can and go to Crowley and demand to know of our brother’s whereabouts. If he’s not the one who has him, I’m sure he knows where he is. Benny and the guys that are with you, you come with me. The moment we find out to whom the cabin belongs to, we’re going after them. There will be hell to pay,” Michael growls and then shifts back to his wolf form, speeding towards where Benny had come from.

“Good luck, brother,” Benny tells Gabriel.

“You too. Make sure Michael doesn’t do anything stupid. Please, bring Cas back safe and… be careful,” Gabriel says and then shifts too back to his wolf form, leading the rest of the wolves back to their land.

 

~*~

**_  
_**

_…NOW…_

The moment Dean leaves the room and enters the hall, he is greeted by three guys that look at him like he is prey. Dean is fast at his moves, but the only thing he manages to do, before everything goes to hell, is hit one of them on the head with the bat. However, the guy seems completely unfazed by it and growls at him in anger, as the bat falls from his hand after breaking in half. The man grabs Dean by the neck and throws him away, making him fall on the coffee table and breaking it in the process.

Dean feels that everything hurts and his vision starts to blur, as he touches the back of his head and feels blood running from an open wound. The guy still hovers over him, but Dean pays no attention to him. The only thing that he sees is one of the other two guys, the blond one, enter his bedroom and his heart stops. _They’re gonna get to Jimmy and they’ll hurt him,_ is the only thing that he can think of, before he feels a kick at his left side and feels his ribs breaking.

Then, suddenly, more voices fill the room and five other people enter and they all start fighting, while making animalistic sounds. The guy that was about to end him enters the fight too, and Dean, finding the last ounce of strength he has left, drags himself on the carpet, trying to reach Jimmy. Five people are still fighting in the living room, smashing everything, and Dean knows that the other three are in there with his small friend. The only thing that keeps him going is the thought of his frightened little wolf that needs his protection. He doesn’t go any further from the door, though, when his strength abandons him and he stops. He knows that he must be delirious, because he sees two wolves fighting next to a man’s dead body. He feels his heartbeat slowing down and there is a throbbing pain in his skull. He can feel it; he’s going to pass out any moment now. Before he closes his eyes, however, he glances under the bed and sees a child’s pair of wide terrified blue eyes, filled with tears, staring at him. Dean would recognize those eyes anywhere; he’s sure he knows to whom these eyes belong to, but he can’t remember and his blurry mind doesn’t particularly help. Not much later, he can’t think about anything anymore. There’s only numbness and then, there’s only darkness.

****

~*~

**_  
_**

Chuck hears a truck pulling outside the house and runs out as fast as he can with his healing leg. When he sees Cas wrapped in a blanket in Michael’s arms, he lets the tears run freely down his face and goes to hug him tightly against his body. At the same time, Gadreel and Balthazar take a man out of the car in chains and with his head covered with a cotton bag and push him inside the house, taking him to the basement.

“Cas, my baby…” Chuck mutters, when he pulls back a little to see his son’s face, while he’s still crying, and then holds him again a little tighter. Cas seems to be numb against him, though, and doesn’t make a move to hug him back, or to look at him. Chuck kisses him all over and keeps talking to him, but the boy remains silent.  
“What’s wrong with him? Why doesn’t he speak?” he asks, turning his eyes to his older son.

“He hasn’t uttered a word, since we found him. We don’t know whether it is because he is in a state of shock or because he was a wolf for too long. When we found him, he was lying naked under a bed and we think that he had just turned back to his human form after a long time,” Michael says.

“Where is this man that held him captive? And those filthy animals that tried to take him?” Chuck growls as he holds Cas protectively in his arms.

“We took Lucifer captive and killed the other two. Unfortunately, Lucifer managed to kill Ezekiel first. The bodies are in the back. The human that had Cas is in a bad shape and he’s barely alive. Benny drove him to Charlie’s house to see if she could do anything to save him, but I honestly doubt it- If he wakes up, we’ll interrogate him, if not… good riddance,” Michael says and Chuck feels Cas whimper against him.

“What’s wrong, baby boy?” Chuck mutters in his son’s hair.

“Dad…” Michael says nervously and that gets Chuck’s attention.  
“There is something about Cas that I haven’t told you,” he starts to say and pauses.

“Go on…” Chuck urges him to continue.

“Cas… he’s, uh… Cas has grown very attached to the human. When the fight was over and things were under control, Cas left his hiding spot under the bed and ran to him and then, we couldn’t get him to leave him. We think that Cas may have imprinted on him or something. If you smell him carefully, you’ll realize that he is close to his first heat. We think that Cas considers this man to be his mate,” Michael says and watches as his father’s eyes widen in horror.

“WHAT?” he screams.  
“That will never happen! No human will take claim of my sweet Cas”, he says, as he tightens his grip around his son.  
“Save him or don’t, I don’t care; but either way, his end won’t be a good one. If he survives, I want you to take him to the basement and chain him. We can’t let him go, he knows too much- We can’t risk people knowing about us. We already have too many problems.”

“What about Gabriel? Where is that asshole, Crowley?” Michael asks through gritted teeth.

“Gabriel called an hour ago. He’s holding Crowley captive and he’s been interrogating him for hours now. He said that Crowley was waiting for Cas to get closer to his heat to get him and claim him. He knew for weeks where Cas was, but he was afraid that if he took him earlier, we would find out and take him back, before he had a chance to claim him. No wolf in his land has stood against our men for now and I don’t think that any of them will oppose to us taking over their land; but if they do, we must be ready for war. The other packs will back us up too; I’m afraid, though, of what their real motives might be. They might want to take Crowley’s land for themselves and cross us. I honestly don’t know what tomorrow will bring for our pack,” Chuck says and then lifts Cas in his arms and hands him over to Michael.

“Wash him and put him in bed. I don’t want you to let him out of your sight. I’m going to Charlie’s house to see how Cas’ capturer is doing and give my further instructions”, Chuck says and starts walking towards the pack’s doctor’s house, but then he pauses and turns around to look at his son.  
“What is his name?” he asks.

“Dean… His name is Dean Winchester,” Michael answers and then, Chuck walks away.


	4. Captive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know this took like forever to write, because I was busy, but I hope the result does not disappoint. Here is where the story truly begins!
> 
> Also, I want to thank you all for subscribing, bookmarking and commenting! You guys make my day!  
> Feel free to write a comment of what you think about this chapter too! :-)

_…TWO DAYS LATER…_

The first thing Dean hears, as he slowly regains his consciousness, is the beeping sound of what seems to be a heart monitor from somewhere in the room, probably connected to him. At least he thinks it’s connected to him, because he feels like a train hit him. It’s the only explanation. He must be in a hospital or something. He can’t remember what happened though, how he got here. Right now all he can think about is the throbbing pain in his head. Every single muscle of his body feels sore and some bones are certainly broken. There is something on his face that bothers him and he tries to move his hand and remove it -although the movement is killing him- but then he hears an unfamiliar voice and a hand grabs his arm and puts it back down at his side on the bed.

“Hey, don’t remove the tubes. They help you breathe better,” the voice says. It’s a man’s voice that Dean has never heard before in his life. He figures that he must be the doctor or a male nurse or something. He tries to open his eyes, but he feels too weak to do it. He considers he might be under the influence of drugs, because aside from the pain, he feels really numb. He tries to speak, but his mouth and his throat are so dry that feel like sandpaper.

“You need some water?” the man speaks again and starts moving somewhere beside him. Dean hears footsteps and then he feels another presence in the room.

“He woke up?” the new voice says. It’s a woman.

“Yeah, doc. Just a minute ago. He hasn’t opened his eyes yet, though,” the man next to him says. So, he’s not the doctor. The woman is. Dean hears water being poured in a glass, somewhere beside his head.

“I think he’s thirsty. He tried to speak, but he couldn’t. I’ll try and give it to him with a straw.”

Dean hears as the woman comes closer to his bed and afterwards there is the sound of a pen writing on paper. Then, he feels something on his lips and he figures it must be the man trying to give him water through the straw. He’s really thirsty and tries his best to take a sip from the drink. The moment he feels water on his tongue, it’s paradise.

“His vitals look good,” the woman says and then Dean feels hands on his face. She opens his eyes one after the other and a light blinds him.  
“I think it’s safe to say that he’s off the hook,” she adds.

“Should I go tell the Alpha that he’s awake? He said he wanted to talk to him the minute he woke up,” the man says.

“No, Benny, don’t be an idiot. Does he look like he’s up for an interrogation, right now? He can’t even open his eyes on his own. He can’t even speak. He needs rest,” the woman argues.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” the man –no, Benny- agrees.

“Did you see how he was the other night? I thought he was going to rip his lungs out. And it’s not like he was in a fighting condition. He was barely breathing. I’ve never seen the alpha like that. I mean, I get it, okay? He was worried sick about Cas, but I don’t think that it’s this man’s fault, you know?” the woman says. _What the hell are they talking about?_ Dean finds himself wondering. _Who is the Alpha and what kind of name is that? And who the hell is Cas?_ Were they talking about him?

“Yeah, I hear ya… I don’t think that either. I mean, when we got to the apartment they had already beaten the shit out of him and he was barely moving. Cas was hidden under the bed. I think the human tried to protect him from them. And then Cas was all clingy and worried about him. Michael almost flipped out with the boy’s behavior,” Benny says and pauses.  
“Is it true? What they say about him and Cas? You examined the little one, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, it’s true. Cas has imprinted on him and he considers him his mate. He’s in transition. He’ll go into heat really soon. It’s rare, but even in a younger age than normal, when a wolf meets someone that his animal side acknowledges as a perfect match, then the body starts it’s _transformation_ ,” the woman answers. _WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT? DID SHE JUST SAY WOLF? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?_ Dean screams inside his head, but otherwise stays quiet as the conversation continues.

“Could he have somehow sped up the process?” Benny asks.

“You mean by violating him? No, there was no sign of violation on Cas’ body. He hasn’t touched him. If he had, he wouldn’t be alive right now and I wouldn’t even have tried to save him. You know, even if Cas goes into heat, I still consider him a child. He’s too young. By human standards, anyway.” _There is that name again. Who is that Cas person?_ Dean wonders. _And what is this chick talking about, by human standards? What other standards are there?_

“The Alpha’s wife was only ten, when she had Michael,” Benny says from somewhere near Dean’s feet.

“Exactly. That’s disgusting. She was only a kid, Benny,” the woman argues.

“It’s our tradition, Charlie. It’s the way we are. Wolves mature faster than humans. You are our pack’s doctor, I thought you knew that by now. It’s the way we’re built. I think you’ve spent too much time among the humans and now you’re confused.”

“I’m not confused. And what kind of maturity are you talking about? Just because we present in an early age that doesn’t mean that we are mature enough to start having sex and children.”

“That’s exactly what it means. The law says so. If a wolf presents then that means that he or she has reached the peak of their maturity and must mate. Look, I know it sucks that Cas is about to present, when he’s not even nine yet, but when he does, his father will find him a mate. You’re a beta, so you don’t get it, but when an alpha or an omega are into rut or heat they’re in pain, if they don’t have a partner.” Dean thinks he might lose his mind. Is he dreaming? He must be dreaming, because the things these people say are completely insane.

“Then we will fight it medically, not like this. We’re not savages or barbarians.”

“No, but we’re wolves. And you’ve been trying for years to find a medicine that would stop the heats and the ruts and you’ve come up with nothing. Face it, Charlie. This is the only way.”

“He’s already looking for suitors, isn’t he?” the woman –no, Charlie, he said her name is Charlie- asks. She sounds bitter.

“Yeah, he sent the word to other packs too, that he’s looking for an alpha to mate with his omega son,” Benny answers.

“But Cas has already imprinted on the human. He can’t just give him to someone else. It might be dangerous for Cas, for his health,” Charlie says and pauses.  
“That’s it!”

“That’s what?” Benny asks, confused.

“The answer to the problem,” Charlie answers and she sounds excited.

“I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

“I’ll tell him that it’s dangerous to give him a different mate, when he has already imprinted on the human. You know, _gravely_ dangerous. This way I’ll protect them both,” she says and claps her hands together.

“How exactly will that protect Cas? And what, you think the alpha will be okay with his son mating with the human? You are completely nuts, Charlie.”

“No, but that’s just it, isn’t it? The human won’t mate with Cas. I mean, he seems like a decent guy and I don’t think he’s into pedophilia. Look, for us it is normal to mate when we present, but Cas will look only like a child in the human’s eyes. He won’t want to mate with him.”

“Yes, but Cas is in dire need of a mate. What will you do about that? How will you get him through his heats without a mate?”

“I’ll give him toys, I don’t know. I’ll try to find a medical solution. I’ll teach him how to pleasure himself on his own. I don’t care, but I sure as hell won’t let some knotheaded alpha breed him. I’ve known him since he was a baby, Benny. I don’t want to see him like this, when he’s only a small child.”

“Okay, and say that Chuck buys your story and doesn’t give him a different mate. Do you actually think that he will be okay with the human as his son’s mate? No way. He’ll die before he lets a human near his son.”

“He doesn’t have to be okay with it. I’ll tell him that if he wants his son to stay healthy, he will have to let them complete the bond. The human will be near Cas to keep him strong and I will be helping him medically through his heats, until he reaches a normal age for him to mate. I will assure the alpha that nothing will happen between them, but that they will just have to be close and bonded. He will agree for Cas’ sake and this will give me the time I need to try and supposedly find a cure. When he comes of age, I’ll tell him that it is safe for Cas to find a werewolf to mate and we will send the human on his merry way.”

“There are only two small problems with your plan. Why would the human ever agree to that and how would we ever allow him to leave this place? He could expose our kind’s existence,” Benny says and Dean wants so much to talk right now, but he’s so weak. If what they’ve been saying all this time is true, then he’s in deep shit. He needs to find a way out of here. These people want him to marry a child or something and keep him in this place -which Dean has no idea where it is- captive. They said they are werewolves, for God’s sake. They’re monsters and Dean is in danger. He has to contact someone to come and save him, before it’s too late.

“The human will agree, if he wants to keep his head on his shoulders. As for the other thing, you’re right, it might be too risky to let him go. But there is always a solution for that.” Dean dreads to hear what the solution is.

“We’ll turn him, and then he’ll be one of us. He will become a member of our pack,” Benny finishes Charlie’s thought and Dean can’t hear anything further than that, because he faints.

 

~*~

 

When Dean wakes up again, he can actually open his eyes. The room is dark for the most part, so it doesn’t take long for his eyes to adjust. He looks around, panicking, as the memories of the conversation he overheard earlier, yesterday –he doesn’t really know, when it was- come to his mind. Soon, he finds that he’s not alone in the room. In the corner there is a strongly built man sitting in an armchair that quickly locks eyes with him. Dean freezes. The man stands up and walks towards him.

“Hey, I’m Benny,” he says. So, he is the same guy that was with him before.

“Where am I?” Dean manages to mutter. He feels so thirsty again.  
“I need water…” he says then. Benny takes a glass filled with water from the nightstand next to the bed and gives him water again with a straw.  
“Thank you…” Dean mumbles again.

“Don’t mention it,” Benny says.  
“What’s your name?” he asks.

“Dean… Dean Winchester. Where are we? Is this a hospital? What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” Benny asks again, raising an eyebrow.

“No, not really,” Dean answers, playing dumb. Perhaps if he pretends that he knows nothing and that he heard nothing of the conversation that took place in this room earlier, they’ll let him leave this place.

“Three men beat you up real bad a few days ago and you almost died,” Benny says and looks at him seriously.

“I don’t remember any of that. Why did they do that? Did they rob me or something?” he asks, although he remembers very clearly now everything that went down that night and with the new information he has, he can now put two and two together. Everything happened for the wolf he was hiding in his apartment, Jimmy. Or Cas, he gathers. Jimmy must have been the Cas they were talking about earlier. Benny said he was hiding under the bed and Dean remembers putting his pet there and then afterwards seeing a small child staring at him with bright blue terrified eyes from under his bed, just before he passed out.

“Something like that…” Benny tells him and looks at him, like he doesn’t buy his story, but says nothing to confirm that.  
“There is someone that wants to meet you, so I’m gonna go call them. Stay right here,” Benny says and then he leaves the room. Once he’s gone, Dean immediately tries to get up, resisting the pain he feels the second he moves, but soon he finds that he can’t go anywhere. He is handcuffed to his bed. _Perfect_ , he thinks.

He waits for a couple of minutes and then two men enter his room, along with Benny. Dean tries to look calm, but his heart starts beating faster and it shows on the heart monitor that is attached to him.

“Who are you?” he asks, trying to cover up his fear.  
“What are these handcuffs for? I thought you said that someone beat me up. What the hell is going on? Am I a prisoner or something? Look, I don’t know what it is that you think I’ve done, but I promise I never did anything to hurt anyone. I’m not the guy you’re looking for, I swear,” Dean says, as he looks between a young man with black hair and green, almost grey eyes and an older one with unruly brown hair and a beard and furious blue eyes.

The older man steps, limping, towards him.  
“Oh, don’t worry, ‘cause you’re exactly the guy we’re looking for,” the man says and stares at him with his angry eyes.  
“It would be better for you, if you started talking. I know you remember, so don’t try and play stupid with me,” he warns.

“I don’t-” Dean starts to say, but the other man interrupts him.

“Didn’t I just say to not play stupid?” the man says furiously, as he gets closer to the human.  
“Where did you find my son and what did you do to him?” he asks then, while a circle of red begins to form around the irises in his eyes from all the anger.

Dean stares, terrified, with his mouth hanging open.  
“What are you?” he asks, although he already knows the answer.

“You know what I am. Now, answer the question. Where did you find Cas?”

“I don’t know who Cas is-” Dean says, trying to buy some time for himself.

“Yes, you do. He’s the little wolf you took into your home. The one you kidnapped,” the man yells and his eyes turn completely red with fury.

“I never kidnapped anyone. If you’re talking about my pet, it wasn’t my fault-”

“Your pet? How dare you call my son your pet?” the man spats angrily and grabs Dean by his neck, choking him.

“Alpha, stop, you’re going to kill him,” Benny intervenes and the man lets go. The younger man behind the two seems unfazed by the incident and glares at Dean. The human tries to get his breath back and coughs pathetically.

A minute passes and Dean tries to speak again with a gruff voice.  
“A small wolf came to my cabin during a storm. He was whining on my porch, because he was wet and afraid of the thunders. I let him in and gave him some milk. When I tried to leave the next day, he wouldn’t let me go, so I took him with me. I was only trying to protect him,” Dean explains and watches as the red slowly disappears from the other man’s eyes. Silence fills the room for a few moments.  
“The wolf is your son? Does that mean that you too can turn into a wolf?” he asks, unable to stop himself.

The other man watches him for a second, before he speaks.  
“Yes,” he finally replies.

“What do you want with me? Why are you keeping me here? Are you going to kill me?” Dean asks then.

“That is still debatable, but for now no. We won’t kill you. I’ve been told that we need you,” the man says calmly, but his eyes tell a different story. He doesn’t like this idea at all and inside he’s boiling.

“Need me for what? Look, if you’re afraid that I’m going to say something to anyone, I promise that I won’t. I just want to go back to my family. I don’t even know where we are. Even if I ever tried to say anything, which I swear I won’t, no one would believe me, anyway. Please, just let me go,” Dean pleads, but it looks like he’s talking to deaf ears.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. My son needs you,” the man says bitterly and looks defeated.

“What do you mean he needs me? What could I possibly offer him?” Dean asks, but he knows very well what he means. That woman, Charlie, must have spoken with him and told him that the little wolf had to stay bonded with Dean, since he had already chosen him as his mate, because otherwise his health would be in danger. Dean, however, knows the truth. She just doesn’t want another wolf to mate with him at such a young age and she thinks that Dean will respect that he is only a kid. Dean understands what’s at stake here and he really wants to help protect a child, but the one thing he wants more is to have his freedom again and escape from this nightmare. But still, he isn’t sure what will help him survive; say nothing about the doctor’s lies or expose her. Then again, if they realize that they don’t need him, they might kill him on the spot. Dean reaches the conclusion that as long as they think they need him, he is safe. That will give him the necessary time to find a way to escape. So, he says nothing about the things he heard Charlie and Benny talk about.

“My son has chosen you as his mate and it is necessary that you stay close to him for him to stay healthy, because he is in a very delicate age,” the man says.

“His mate? What does that mean? What do you want from me?” Dean asks. The kid’s father looks away as he starts to speak again.

“You’ll have to maintain physical contact with him, during long hours of the day. He’s going into heat and your presence will be soothing for him. It will keep his temperature at a normal level, while he goes through it. Then you’ll have to complete your bonding with him. It’s a ritual. Your blood will be mixed with his in front of the whole pack.”

“Okay, and how long is this going to take? A week? Two weeks? What? How long am I going to have to stay here? Do you promise to let me go when the ritual thing is complete?” Dean asks.

The man turns to face him, red filling his eyes again.  
“You don’t get it, do you? There’s no end in this. You will have to stay here forever. I can’t let you go after everything. Cas is going to need you for a long time. I’m talking years. You’ll find out about our traditions, the way we live, our secrets. How the hell do you expect us to let you go afterwards? We won’t risk getting exposed. You asked if you’re a prisoner; the answer is yes, you are. If you ever try to escape, I promise that I will kill you. When you get better, you’ll start working. We won’t feed you for nothing. You’ll have to earn it. You’re in a place full of wolves, so you’d better behave, before you get your head ripped off. You have no idea what a delicacy you are for a wolf,” he answers and Dean’s blood runs cold. His face turns completely white and then he glances behind the man threatening him and sees Benny sparing him an apologetic look, while the other young man continues to glare at him. _Oh, great. Now I’m really screwed_ , he thinks.

There is a knock on the door and then the young man, who was glaring at him, steps outside and then closes the door behind him, before Dean has the chance to see who it is.

The man beside him starts talking again.  
“Cas has been running a high fever for two days now, so the doctor recommended to bring him here to you. It will help bring the fever down. He doesn’t know any of this, so you’d better behave in front of him. He can’t know that we keep you here against your will. He wouldn’t take it well. All I want is for my son to be alright, do you understand?” he asks.

Dean swallows the lump in his throat, before he answers.  
“I do…” he says and right then, the door opens and the young man reenters the room, leaving the door open this time.

“Father, Charlie has Cas just outside the room and asks if it’s okay to bring him in,” he says, from where he’s standing next to the door. Dean locks eyes with Benny, who looks like he’s ready to intervene, if he needs to, before he turns to look at the older man again.

“Yes, bring him in,” the man agrees and then the younger man steps outside and gives a signal with his hand, before he comes back inside. A moment later, Dean sees a young woman with red hair, holding a young child by the hand, standing at the door. When he looks at the child -a beautiful, sweet young boy with dark unruly hair, bright blue eyes and pink plump lips- his head fills with the image of the kid under his bed, looking at him terrified, with tears in his eyes. The boy looks tired and his cheeks are flushed, probably because of the fever.

When the child sees him, his face looks like it’s coming to life and he pulls his small hand out of the woman’s grasp and runs to him, climbing on the bed and on Dean, making him wince from the pain, before his father has a chance to grab him. The boy buries his face in Dean’s neck and breathes him in, while he wraps his short arms around him, everywhere he can reach.

“Dean…” the kid whispers and relaxes on his torso.

Dean looks around him for the other people’s reaction and says nothing. The boy’s father seems like he’s barely holding it together. Dean is certain that he wants to take his son away from him so bad, but something holds him back.

“Dean,” the boy says again more firmly and Dean feels tears wetting his neck. His hands are cuffed, so he can’t exactly hug the kid back -maybe that’s why they put him handcuffs, because they were planning to bring the kid in the room- but he tries to soothe him with words.

“Hey, it’s okay, Jimmy. You’re okay,” he says and sees the boy’s father tense at the mention of the name.

The boy lifts his head slowly and looks at Dean and Dean looks back.  
“My name is Cas, but you can call me Jimmy, if you want. I don’t mind,” he says.

“No, it’s okay. Cas is a nice name. I could get used to it,” Dean replies and smiles at the boy, who smiles back and then buries his face again in his neck.

“I missed you,” Cas says, while he cries.

“It’s okay, I’m here now,” Dean says, while looking at all the others in the room, who keep looking at him like they want to murder him.

“Mikey said that you almost died,” Cas tells him then, and Dean can hear how much pain the news had caused the boy.

“Yes, but I’m okay now. You don’t have to be afraid. They helped me get better,” Dean tries to reassure the boy. Cas lifts his head again and looks at him and then he plants a wet kiss on Dean’s cheek, leaving a trail of saliva, tears and snot behind, when he pulls back. Dean just looks at him, as the boy climbs more firmly on his chest, like he used to do, when he was in his wolf form and then lies there, closing his eyes. Dean bites the inside of his cheek to not make a noise from the pain the weight of the child causes him and looks pained at the others.

Then the woman that Dean guesses is Charlie speaks.  
“I think we should leave them for now. Cas needs to spend some time with his mate. It will help with his heat. Benny will be in the room at all times, watching over them. There’s nothing to be afraid of. The human has handcuffs on.”

“No offense to Benny, but I’d feel better if Michael stayed,” the kid’s father says and Dean stares at him.

“Okay, then… Benny,” Charlie says and Benny steps closer to the door, ready to leave.

“I don’t want to hear that you tried and hurt my son. If you do anything to hurt him, I will kill you, do you hear me?” the boy’s father says and Dean nods in understanding. Then the man turns towards the door and leaves the room, after he pats the younger man -that Dean guesses is Michael- on the shoulder. Michael nods at his father and then goes and sits in the armchair, where Benny was sitting earlier. Benny leaves the room, following the older man and then Charlie turns to do the same.

“Wait,” Dean tells her and she turns around to face him.

“Is something wrong?” she asks him, raising an eyebrow. Cas seems to have fallen asleep on his chest, because he doesn’t react at the conversation and his breathing is even.

“Are you going to leave him here, on me? My ribs are killing me. I’m in too much pain, I can’t take his weight for much longer,” Dean complains, and Charlie looks at him with an apologetic expression on her face, but then the kid’s brother stands up and looks at him with a disgusted look on his.

“You are a disgrace. Your mate needs you and all you can think about is yourself. Stupid, weak humans… You’ll stay right there and you will endure this. I don’t want to hear another word coming from your mouth. You are so unworthy of him,” Michael says and gives him a hateful glance, before he turns to look at Charlie, who stands uncomfortable by the door.

“You can go, Charlie. I’ll call you if we need you,” he says and then sits again in the armchair. Charlie just nods and then closes the door behind her as she leaves the room.

Dean stares at the ceiling, while thinking how he got himself into this mess. He needs to find a way out of this and fast.


	5. Embracing One's Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My lovely readers,  
> I'm really sorry for the delay, but sometimes real life gets in the way! LOL!  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm currently working on the next one, so it won't be too long!  
> XOXO

Dean remains silent for the next few hours to come, while Cas sleeps on his torso. The presence of the boy’s brother intimidates him, so he tries not to look at him, but keep his eyes closed or at the ceiling at all times. He wants to sleep so badly, to remove himself from this nightmare, but the pain won’t let him sleep. The weight of the boy has become unbearable on his healing body, but he’s afraid to complain again. So, he just lies there, with the kid sleeping peacefully on top of him.

Castiel seems like a sweet kid and Dean knows that none of this is really the child’s fault, but he can’t help but blame him for everything that he’s going through right now. If it wasn’t for him, he wouldn’t be in this situation. For hours now, a battle has been going on in his head about the way he treated the boy and the things he should have done instead of the things he actually did. On the one hand, he can’t believe the hours he spent worrying about the kid –well, his wolf actually, or so he thought at the time- cuddling with him, petting him, feeding him. Worrying about what he would do, when the little one got through his first heat. He was such an idiot. What was he thinking taking a wild animal as a pet? His stupidity nearly caused him his own life. But on the other hand, he thinks of all the bad things that could have happened to the child and he shuts himself up. The child’s life is worthy of the danger he is in.

 _I did a good thing_ , he decides, as he looks at the sleeping boy on his chest. When he lifts his gaze again, though, he catches Michael glaring at him, watching his every move. No doubt he saw that he was watching Cas sleeping a moment ago and that’s why he looks pissed. _So, it’s okay to let the boy sleep on me, but it’s a crime to look at him? People here are insane_ , he thinks and rolls his eyes, looking away from the older werewolf.

“What was that?” Michael asks.

“I’m sorry, what? I didn’t say anything,” Dean says and tries to ignore him again.

“That eye roll. I saw that. Is there something that you wish to tell me?” Michael goes on, while glaring at him.

 _Yeah, just that you’re frigging insane_ , Dean thinks.  
“No, nothing, man…” he says instead.

“Do you think this is easy for me? For any of us? Letting a human like you cuddle with my little brother?” Michael asks then, irritated, as he stands up from his seat and approaches the bed.

Cas starts stirring at the sound of the voices, but remains asleep. Dean gives him a look and when he’s certain that the boy won’t wake up, he turns to look at Michael again.  
“You’re kidding me, right? Do you think that I honestly care about how you people feel about this?” he says in a low voice, frustrated.  
“Do you forget who the victim is here? Do you think I want anything to do with this? _‘Cuddling with your brother’_ , oh give me a break! I’m not even cuddling with him. He’s just a dead weight on my bruised ribs that’s killing me. I have handcuffs on both my wrists and I can’t even move. You fucking abducted me, when none of this is my fault. I told you that and I know you know it too, or else you wouldn’t let me anywhere near him, even if I was restrained. My family must be worried sick by now, but yet you all make it sound like it is only about you. If I could, I’d be out of here in a second and I wouldn’t think twice about leaving your brother. I don’t know what is considered normal for you guys, but I’m not a pervert. I don’t like him. I don’t want touching him in any way or have any kind of relationship with him. He’s not even human! He’s a frigging monster, like all of you. And yet you keep saying that we’re mated, like we are a couple or something. He’s only a God damn kid! And it is only that young age of his that makes me feel any kind of sympathy for him; because I want to believe that there is still some innocence left in him. You all probably have killed people. Hell, I remember seeing a dead person in my apartment that night. The last thing I remember before I woke up in this nightmare. You don’t have the right to keep me here like this,” Dean argues, unable to hold back anymore, while moving his hands desperately, causing the handcuffs to make a noise against the metal bars of the bed at both his sides and Cas to stir more on top of him.

“You’re a disgrace! A little boy is sick because of you and all you can think about is yourself. I don’t know what my brother’s wolf saw in you and decided that he wanted you as his mate. Trust me when I say this, I fucking hate this more than you do. You see us as monsters? There is nothing more I see in you than a disgusting cockroach! You are a powerless, worthless piece of shit! I wish I could be there to stop him from bonding with you, but it is too fucking late now. He is too young and he made a mistake! But I won’t let this mistake -even if it’s the last damn thing I do- have an impact on his health. He’s been through enough. So, I’m telling you to suck it up. Stop whining and accept the bloody situation!” Michael says, while glaring at him disapprovingly.

“How is he sick because of me? I didn’t do anything! Your guys beat the crap out of me and I did nothing to your brother. I never touched him, I swear! At least not in a way that could be interpreted as me trying to have any kind of relationship with him or to bond or whatever. He was just a little helpless wolf to me. I just fed him and gave him a roof to sleep under!”

“Still, that doesn’t change the facts. And it wasn’t one of our guys that hurt you. I wish it was me, to be honest, but Cas would never forgive me. We all have to put up with you for his sake,” Michael says and looks away.

“If it wasn’t one of you, who were those guys and what did they want with me?” Dean asks, watching intently every move that Michael makes.

“They didn’t want anything with you. They just wanted to take Cas. They knew you had him and they had been watching you all along.”

“Shit!” Dean can’t stop himself from saying and looks at the sleeping boy.  
“Why? Why did they want to take him? Are they your enemies or something? Did they want money? Revenge?” he asks then, sounding interested. Well, he’s already involved in this; at least they owe him an explanation of the whole story; or so he tells himself.

“This is none of your concern! I’ve told you enough that I didn’t have to tell you. Your only job here is to take care of Cas, be near him. And if I ever hear you call my brother a monster again, I’ll turn into a wolf and eat you alive; so, don’t try my patience. Now shut up, before you wake him up. He needs to rest,” Michael answers and goes and sits again at the armchair at the other end of the room, as Dean starts staring at the ceiling again.

 

For the next few hours that Cas sleeps, Michael and Dean don’t speak again. Dean keeps staring at the ceiling and tries to hide any wince of pain. He doesn’t want the werewolf to see his weakness again and make fun of him. If he’s going to survive this and get out of this place alive at some point, he needs to toughen up.

His head is filled with thoughts of escape and his family, until at some point, Dean feels the boy waking against his body and he looks at Michael in alarm, who in turn gets up from his seat across the room and comes to stand by the bed.

“Cas, baby? How are you feeling? Are you better?” the werewolf asks his younger brother, who lifts his tired gaze to look at Dean instead of answering Michael’s question.

“Alpha? You’re still here… I thought I lost you,” the boy says in a sad voice and hugs Dean, who grits his teeth in response, to stop himself from shouting from the pain that grip causes him.

“It’s okay, Cas. I’m right here. I didn’t go anywhere,” Dean tells him reassuringly after a moment, when he has his reactions under control.  
“Cas, buddy… can I ask you a favor, though? Do you think you could take it easy on me and get off me? My ribs are killing me. I’m still in a lot of pain. You want me to recover, don’t you?”

Cas stares at him with terrified eyes, then.  
“I’ve been hurting you? I’m so sorry, Alpha. Forgive me,” the boy mutters, as he gets off Dean and tears fill his eyes.  
“I didn’t mean to,” he continues in a sad voice.

“It’s okay, buddy. It’s not such a big deal. I’m fine. Just give me some time to heal and then we can go back to our old sleeping arrangements, okay?” he says and he actually smirks at Michael, when he does. Well, two can play this game. If they’re going to make him feel like crap, so is he. If Michael doesn’t like his brother sleeping with Dean, then Dean is going to make this awkward and painful for the werewolf to watch and he’s going to remind him of all the days Cas has spent with him.

Michael just glares at him, but quickly he turns to talk to his brother again, instead of saying anything to Dean.  
“You look better. Has the fever gone down?” he asks, as he puts the back of his hand on the boy’s forehead and Cas leans into his brother’s touch.  
“You’re still hotter than normal, but it’s because you’re getting closer to your heat. You’ll be fine. Just try and drink a lot of water, okay?” he says and Cas nods.  
“Are you hungry? Why don’t we go back home to eat and let your mate rest a little, huh?” Michael says then and Cas turns to look at Dean in alarm.

“Can’t I eat here? I don’t want to leave my Alpha alone. I want to stay and eat here with him. He’s sick, Mikey…” Cas complains and curls himself next to Dean’s body.

Michael looks at Dean, as if he expects him to do something about this, and Dean turns to look at the boy.  
“Cas, buddy, you can go. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’m tired and I’m going to sleep now. You’ll get bored in here with me. There won’t be anything for you to do. I’ll tell someone to call you when I wake up, okay? Go and eat, you need your strength,” Dean says in an attempt to convince Cas to leave, so that the big bad wolf can go as well and leave him the hell alone.

“Don’t you want to be with me?” the boy asks and his lower lip starts to tremble. _Oh, no! He’s going to cry_ , Dean thinks, as Michael raises an eyebrow at him, daring him to answer.

“Of course I do, Cas… It’s just, I’m tired. That’s all. And I don’t think I’ll be a great company to you, if I’m here sleeping all day. I’m sure you have better things to do. You’ve been gone for a while. Maybe you should go spend some time with your family and your friends. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here when you want to come back and see me, okay?” Dean assures him.

“Okay, I guess. I’ll come later,” Cas says, while pouting.

“Okay, then. Cas, if you’re ready, we can go,” Michael tells his brother. It’s obvious that he too can’t wait to leave this room.

“Already? Mikey, can’t I stay for a few more minutes?” Cas asks, pleadingly.

“Charlie is going to come and examine him, soon, so I think we should go, Cas,” Michael replies.

“Fine… Bye, Alpha,” Cas says, defeated, and bends down to give Dean a kiss on his cheek and then breathe him in for a second, before he disentangles himself from him and climbs down and off the bed.

Cas walks slowly towards the door, with Michael right behind him, when suddenly Dean calls the older werewolf back.  
“Wait, Michael- I need to ask you something before you go,” he says and both Michael and Cas turn around to look at him.

“Cas, go wait for me outside for a moment, okay?”

“But-”

“Go, Cas,” Michael repeats and the little boy complies, while pouting again and after giving Dean a little wave goodbye, he leaves the two men alone in the room.

“What is it?” Michael asks, as he comes near the bed.

“How long am I going to be handcuffed in here? Don’t you think your little brother will notice at some point that I’m being kept here against my will? I don’t think that the blanket will be enough to cover this for long,” he says and motions with his head at his wrists that are currently covered with a thin blanket, just like the rest of his body.

“I’ll tell Charlie to remove them, when she comes back to check on you. But don’t think for a moment that you’ll be able to escape this place, when the handcuffs are gone. Benny will be watching your every move and remember that we’re all wolves. We know how to track someone down and if you want your family to be left alone and to stay unharmed, you won’t try anything,” Michael tells him and turns to leave.

“Wait! About my family… I’ve been missing for a few days now -I suppose- and if they saw my apartment, they’re going to be worried sick. I need to let them know that I’m okay. They must think that I’m dead or something. And the other men’s bodies-” Dean says, while panicking.

“Don’t worry about it. We took care of everything. Your family doesn’t know anything about what happened. We cleaned up your apartment. There’s no sign of a fight in it. We also left a message -in case someone looked for you- that you were leaving for a few weeks and that you quit your job. We took all of your clothes and your personal stuff and brought them here. They’re in our house. We have one of ours keeping an eye on your family to make sure they don’t suspect anything. We’ll let you call them in a few days, when you get better and after you get the story down, to let them know that you’re okay,” he says, looking bored, like it’s all in the past now and it is just technicalities. In his eyes everything’s been taken care of.

“So, you believe that you’ve thought of everything, don’t you? You actually think that my family would buy that story? I’ve never done anything like that. Why the hell would I ever want to quit my job and just leave?” Dean provokes him.

“From what I understand from the things we found in your apartment and on your computer, you want to be a writer... Am I wrong? That’s the reason you’d often go up at the cabin in the woods, is it not? To write? I read some of your work; you’re good, I’ll give you that. I think it was time for your family to know about your dreams too. The message we left them said that you were going to Seattle to pursue a writer’s career, after an offer you received from a publishing house,” Michael says and actually laughs at his last comment.

“You son of a bitch… You went through my things?” Dean asks angrily.

“We had to know with what kind of a freak Cas was spending his days with. What did you think? That we wouldn’t do a background check on you? We also found the diary you keep on your computer and trust me, it’s the only thing that appeased our father and made him reconsider his decision about killing you. That and of course Cas’ condition. If he didn’t know for sure that you hadn’t harmed Cas in any way, he would have killed you, before you even woke up,” Michael says and Dean tries hard to swallow the lump in his throat.

Michael sighs and he looks as if he’s almost sorry for him; but not really. Dean still gets on his nerves a great deal.  
“I think you’d better get used to the idea of being here, soon. There’s no going back, Dean. And if you want to have any contact with your family every now and then, you need to start behaving,” he tells him and then pauses.  
“Look, I know you think that I’m a dick, but my father is much worse; I guess it comes with the job description, _‘Leader and Alpha of the pack’_ … Do as he says and you won’t have a problem, but if you cross him in any of his orders, you’ll pay the price.”

Dean says nothing to that. Instead, he stares terrified at the wall, away from Michael, who now stands near the door, ready to go. The werewolf can feel the human’s fear and uneasiness. He can smell it on him; so, he decides to put him out of his misery and leave him alone.  
“You’d better get some rest. When you get better and your wounds are mostly healed, we’ll move you to Castiel’s room. He’s getting closer to his heat and he needs you near him. When the heat is over, we’ll give you a different place to stay… See you around, Dean,” he finally says and walks out of the room. Dean turns to look at the door that closes behind the man and lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He feels like his heart is ready to burst out of his chest and the beeping of the heart monitor drives him nuts.

 _Everything is going to be okay_ , he repeats in his head like a mantra. He has to believe it.

 

~*~

 

_…SIX DAYS LATER…_

Dean is sitting at the edge of his bed, staring at his injured left foot, while Charlie has a stethoscope attached to his chest and examines him. Today is the last day he spends in this room, before they take him to the alpha’s house to stay with Cas and help him through his heat. He, of course, still feels like crap, but they all decided they couldn’t wait for him to get better, because the boy presented this very morning and his father and all the others have been going crazy over it. From what he’s heard, when an omega is bonded with someone, their heats are terrible without their mates and there have been situations of omegas that died, because of the awful fever that comes with the heat, when they were left without their partners.

Charlie nods to herself before she removes the stethoscope and takes a couple of steps away from Dean to write something on her notebook.  
“You’re much better, but you need to go easy on yourself. You might be out of danger, but there are still things that could go wrong. An infection, a bone that could heal the wrong way… But no worries, I’ll still be watching you now that you’ll be at the alpha’s house. I have to keep an eye on Cas too, anyway. Poor kid…” Charlie says, as she closes the notebook.

“I know you’re lying to everyone about me and him,” Dean tells her suddenly and she freezes.

“What are you talking about?” she asks, still looking away from him.

Dean stares at the back of her head, while he continues talking.  
“I heard you, that first day I woke up- You were talking with Benny and you were saying that you would lie, in order to keep him safe and away from any other werewolf that might have wanted to bond with him. This whole thing is a farce. He doesn’t need me, not really. You could have given him a different mate and he would have been fine.”

“Shut your mouth,” Charlie says and puts her palm over his mouth, when she reaches him with two quick steps.  
“No one can hear you say that! And I’m not lying- I mean…” she pauses and she removes her hand from Dean’s face.  
“Look, I admit that I may have overreacted, when I told them about how important you are to Cas, but you must understand that I’m doing it for you too. If they realize that they don’t need you, they will kill you. Cas is only a child. You’re a human. You must see how awful what they wanted for him is. And besides, you’re the one responsible for what’s happening to him. You must help him.”

“I understand the situation and this is the only reason I haven’t ratted you out, but you need to tell me everything I need to know about this. Look, I will agree to keep this a secret and to help you with the boy, but you must help me in return”, Dean tells her.

“What do you mean? What do you want me to help you with?” she asks nervously.

“First of all, I need your protection and Benny’s, since he seems to be in on this with you. You need to promise me that you won’t let anyone harm me. Michael said that Benny would keep guarding me and Cas, so I want him on my side.”

“Okay, that’s fair. I can do that… I’ll talk to Benny. What else?”

“I want you to tell me everything you know about this situation with Cas. What is actually happening. How much he actually needs me. What is expected of me. I need to know what I’m putting myself into. I also want you to help me make contact with my family and find out who they’ve sent keeping an eye on them. I have to know if they’re in danger,” he tells her and she nods once.

“I’ll tell you everything I know-” she starts saying, but Dean interrupts her before she has a chance to finish her sentence.

“And finally, when the time comes and when I know that my family is out of danger, I need you to help me escape. I’ll keep my end of the deal and be the protector that you want me to be for Cas, but when the time needed runs up, you will help me leave this place and make them believe that there is nothing to come after. You will make sure that my family and I will be left alone. I’ve thought about this a thousand times and I’ve reached the conclusion that the only way to leave this place is if they believe I’m dead. I want you to help me fake my own death…” Dean says and waits for her response.

Charlie just stares at him for a second and then she sighs deeply.  
“You realize that it will be years before I can let you leave Cas, right? That is the deal. You will have to stay with him, until he comes of age.”

“You’re joking. I can’t stay with him for that long. It will be a whole lifetime before he turns eighteen,” Dean argues.

“You won’t have to wait that long. Although, I realize that it will still be a long time, but I won't agree to help you otherwise. I will consider Cas old enough to have a true partner when he turns fourteen. That is the considered normal age of maturity for werewolves. I will help you leave only after that. This is not negotiable. If everything works as planned, then I will help you. I promise,” Charlie finishes and Dean buries his face in his hands.

“Fine…” he says after a moment.  
“I’ll do it. I’ll stay until he’s fourteen, but you’ll make sure that I will have contact with my family during this entire time.”

“Of course, I’ll do my best. Is it a deal, then?” Charlie asks for confirmation and Dean nods, giving her his hand for a handshake.

The only thing that runs through Dean’s mind right now is that it could be worse. This will be like a sentence in prison and when the time is up, he will walk out a free man. Dean is positive that he can trust Charlie. She wouldn’t screw him over. Her ass is on the line too and she wants to protect the little werewolf the best way she can. There’s something in her eyes that tells him she won’t cross him. He will play his part right and everything will go according to plan. No one will ever have to know about anything. But will it really be that easy? He hasn’t thought of the most important thing. How is life with Cas going to be?

“Now, I want you to tell me everything I need to know about Cas,” he tells her, after letting go of her hand. Charlie sighs and begins to do as she is told.


	6. First Heat

When Dean arrives at the Alpha’s house, it seems that the whole family is gathered there as well. From what Dean can remember from the people he has met the previous days, he recognizes Gabriel and his mate Kali, Charles -or Chuck, as they all seem to call him- AKA the pack’s Alpha and Cas’ father, Michael and his mate Tessa and a guy named Gadreel that Dean remembers from the night in his apartment. There are also other people that Dean doesn’t know, since it’s the first day he gets out of his room at Charlie’s house.

“Sir, should we take him to your son?” Benny’s voice comes from behind Dean and startles him. Dean looks at the man in front of him, who seems even more intimidating today, especially for such a small person. There is a wisdom behind the man’s eyes that scares Dean; however, he doesn’t look much older than his two older sons. He’s like maybe in his late thirties or early forties. It must have to do with the fact that they are werewolves. On his way here, Dean didn't see a single old person.

“Not just yet”, Chuck says.  
“We must talk first. Where is Charlie?” he asks then.

“I’m right here, Alpha”, comes Charlie’s voice from somewhere inside the house and then she appears in the living room, standing near the rest.

“Is Cas doing any better?” he asks in a voice filled with sorrow.

“Not really. He’s the same. He’s burning up and he’s producing a lot of slick. He’s in need of his mate. We have a bath with ice ready for him. I think that it’s our best option right now to bring down the fever and to calm him down a little. The human will get in the bathtub with him and I think his fever will drop”, Charlie says.

“And you think this will suffice? What about his other needs? His sexual needs? You know very well that it’s not just the fever that he suffers from. He needs an Alpha to knot him. If that doesn’t happen he will continue to be in pain”, Chuck says and Dean actually freezes at the man’s words.

“That won’t be necessary for now. I’m very confident that we can avoid it. I made something that will help alleviate the pain. But I think that what will make the biggest difference is the human’s presence. Time is of the essence, so we need to go now”, Charlie answers and then waves at Benny to bring Dean forward. Chuck, however, stops them.

“You have one day to prove your theory. I won’t let my son suffer. If the human doesn’t help him and he doesn’t get better, I will take different measures. I will give him a different mate; an actual Alpha that will help him properly through his heat”, he says and Charlie stares at him with wide eyes. Then Chuck looks around and makes a signal for someone to step forward.

A young man with light brown hair and blue eyes appears and stands beside the Alpha.  
“This is Bartholomew. If the human fails to do what he’s here for, Bartholomew will take his place. He is the Alpha I’ve chosen to be my son’s mate. Whether that will happen today or later depends on you, Charlie, and how well this theory of yours works”, Chuck says, while his eyes scream of authority.

“Of course, Alpha”, Charlie mutters, unable to hide the shock she is in from the news Chuck just gave her.

“Alpha, if you allow me, I would like to be present for my future mate’s therapy. I want to make sure that the human won’t touch him or violate him in any way”, Bartholomew says, but before Chuck has the chance to speak, Charlie steps in.

“Great Alpha, you can’t possibly be considering this. I will not allow it. You think that I or Benny would ever let anything happen to your son? We will be present at all times. It hurts me that you might think so little of me. Even if you don’t trust us, send one of your sons in the room, not a complete stranger that also happens to be an unmated Alpha, who will scare Cas. Your son is in heat. The last thing he needs is a strange Alpha in the room, who will confuse him. Cas has already chosen his mate and he will go crazy, if you try to inflict someone else on him, when he is in this condition. If you want your son to meet his future mate, you can do this after his heat is over and when he will be in his right mind”, Charlie retorts enraged.

“Very well, Charlie”, Chuck says to her and then turns to look at Bartholomew.  
“Child, I assure you that the human won’t touch Cas. You have my word. There are people who will make sure of that. I don’t want to put my son in a more difficult position right now. You will meet him the moment his heat is over, I promise. Or, well, tomorrow, if today’s experiment doesn’t work”, he says, giving a warning glance towards Charlie at the end.

“Of course, Alpha. As you wish…” Bartholomew answers and he bows his head to him.

“Benny, Dean, let’s go”, Charlie says then, and they both follow her inside the house.

 

~*~

 

Dean feels like something is bothering him, after they leave the living room to go find Cas. The conversation they just had leaves a bad taste in his mouth that he can’t quite put a finger on why that is. He shouldn’t really care about the fact that they have already chosen a mate for Cas, but he finds himself caring. No, he doesn’t just care; he feels angry beyond belief and he feels that the same applies for Charlie who is walking right in front of him and is mumbling furiously.

Once they reach the bedroom, before they even enter, Dean smells a heavy scent in the air. It’s sweet and it smells like candy and Dean realizes that he likes it, maybe a little too much. When the door opens, however, a strong wave of that smell hits him hard and he finds himself blocking his nose, because it feels like someone sprayed perfume right on his face. But then, he sees Cas moving around desperately on the bed, completely naked and flushed all over and he removes his hand from his face to stare at the boy.

The moment he walks in, the boy immediately realizes his presence and runs to him, hugging his legs desperately.  
“Alpha, you came… Alpha, I can’t… I need”, Cas says breathlessly, as he rubs his face on Dean’s hip.

“Hey, hey, Cas… it’s okay, honey. I’m right here”, Dean says and then he lifts him up in his arms and kisses his forehead.  
“What’s wrong? Do you have a fever? Hmm?” Dean keeps asking him, while peppering kisses in his hair.

“Where were you Alpha? I’ve been asking for you all morning”, Cas says and his voice trembles. Dean realizes that the boy is crying.

“I’m so sorry, Cas. I didn’t mean to make you wait for so long. But I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere”, Dean says and kisses his head again, rocking him in his arms, until he feels something slippery on the boy’s legs and guesses it is what Charlie called earlier slick.

“I feel hot and my thingy hurts and I feel so empty… Alpha, please, knot me. I need you”, the boy says and Dean almost drops him at that very moment the words leave the boy’s mouth.

“Uhm, Charlie… how about that bath you were talking about earlier? Is it ready or what?” Dean asks then, instead of answering to Castiel’s request.

“No no, I don’t wanna. Take me to bed, I’m tired. I don’t want to have a bath”, Cas protests, while he wraps his legs tightly around Dean’s waist and starts rocking his tiny hips against the human’s stomach. Right then, Dean feels the boy’s hardness against him, which he hadn’t realized until that second and looks desperately at Charlie, who nods in return.

“Yeah, I hear ya… Just follow me”, she says and Dean follows her in a big bathroom, which is attached to the boy’s room, all the while with Cas whimpering in his arms.

“Benny, hold Cas for a second”, she orders the other werewolf, who does as he is told, earning a loud whine from Cas, when he is removed from Dean’s arms.  
“Dean, please undress and leave only your boxers on. Be careful with your injuries. Then step slowly into the bathtub and sit down, so we can give you Cas”, she tells the human, who hesitates for a second, but then starts removing his clothing.

Once he is inside the bathtub, Benny hands him Cas. The water is freezing, but the boy’s warmth is comforting against his front, after he makes him sit on his lap and then lie against his chest. All he cares about is to make Cas feel better and he tries to ignore the chattering of his own teeth. The little wolf is still whimpering against him and Dean rubs the boy’s torso and arms soothingly.

“It’s okay, baby boy. Shhh… You’re going to be okay. Don’t be afraid”, Dean says and kisses Cas’ hair again.

“Alpha, I can’t… I need you”, Cas cries and buries his face in Dean’s neck.  
“Won’t you claim me, today? I’m in heat. You can put puppies in my belly. Please, Alpha… I’m ready. I want to carry our puppies”, Cas says and his words make Dean’s stomach drop. He can’t comprehend it. How can a small child want to have children of his own at this young age? And then there is that other thing; if Dean hears the word puppies or pups or whatever one more time, he’s going to flip. He’s been hearing all these things for the past few days and he can’t anymore. Basically Cas is asking him to have baby wolves with him. ‘Seriously, like what the hell?’ he keeps wondering, but doesn’t show his discomfort to Cas, because he doesn’t want to upset him. He needs to be gentle about this and how he’ll approach the subject, because he doesn’t want to hurt Cas.

So, instead of saying his real thoughts about this, he just rubs soothing circles on the boy’s stomach and he speaks sweetly near his ear.  
“One day we will, baby, but not right now. You are too small to carry puppies. Look how tiny your belly is. When you are older, I'll give you puppies, but not today. Besides, you’re too small to be claimed. It would hurt a lot more than it does now that you’re in heat, if I tried to claim you. You might think you’re ready, but you are not. I’m a grown man and you are so small”, Dean says, as Cas starts whining again and continues before the boy has the chance to interrupt him.  
“I would never forgive myself, if I ever hurt you, Cas. Our first time, especially your first time, must be special. Something that you will remember and smile about. Something that will warm your heart, when you think about it. You need to be patient, baby. I know that you are in a lot of pain right now, but trust me when I say this, if I tried to claim you, it would hurt a lot more”, the human finishes and kisses Cas’ flushed cheek. Charlie and Benny can’t help, but smile at the image in front of them, from where they’re standing; Benny by the door and Charlie, next to a small table, where she seems to be making some sort of ointment.

Despite his condition, Cas seems a lot better than before and has even stopped whimpering so much. He doesn’t look like his heat is the first thing that’s troubling him anymore, but looks like he’s thinking about Dean’s words; like he’s absorbing the meaning of them. So, a few moments later he looks up at the human and talks again.

“So, you can’t claim me, today?” he asks and looks sad.  
“I thought that if my heat came early we could be a couple, we could mate. If I knew, I wouldn’t try so much to evoke it. Did I upset you, Alpha?” he asks again, staring at Dean’s green eyes with his blue ones.

“Why would you upset me, Cas? Of course you didn’t. This is not your fault, baby. It was bound to happen”, Dean says and kisses the boy’s hair again, but then he pauses, considering Castiel’s words.  
“But, what do you mean that you were trying to evoke your heat? How?” Dean asks and both Charlie and Benny also look confused and interested by that and wait to see what the boy is going to say.

Cas seems to be thinking about it, before he answers.  
“Well, it wasn’t really me that was trying, but my wolf. When I turn, I lose control to my animal and he does all the thinking for me. When you saved us, he wanted us to become mates. He wanted to make you his mate. I’ve never given it much thought, I mean having a mate, but he liked you very much. He liked your scent and how you took care of us and he made me like you too. The reason I was lying in your arms and on you all the time was because my wolf was trying to make his body go into heat, so you could smell him, turn yourself into your wolf form and claim him. My wolf likes to be in charge and most of the time, I can’t get back control. He’s always fighting me. He wants you for himself and I wanted you to claim me in our human forms, so I could beat him. I guess that now that you won’t be claiming me either, he wins”, Cas finishes and Dean looks at Charlie, who in turn looks shocked at Cas’ confession and so is Benny. They all knew that Cas has trouble turning, but no one ever knew why exactly.

Dean turns his attention back to Cas, in order to understand what the hell is going on.  
“So, basically, you’re saying that you only wanted me to claim you, because you wanted to be claimed before your wolf? That the one who really wants to be claimed is him and not you?” Dean asks and Cas looks like he’s considering his words.

“No… I mean, yes. I don’t know. I… I still feel like a kid and if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t mind, if I didn’t have a mate. I know that I’m too young. My brother Mikey says that mated wolves have responsibilities. I don’t like responsibilities. I always like playing around with my friends and daddy gets mad about it sometimes. He was mad at me the last time I was here, before you found me. He said I was getting on his nerves and I started crying, because he made me feel sad. But my wolf became mad at him and he took control and I turned against my will. He was the one who ran away, not me. I think my wolf thinks of himself as more mature than me and likes more grown up things. He likes hunting and he wants a mate and to have puppies. He loves you, but I love you too”, Cas says and tears start rolling down his cheeks.

“I know, baby, and I love you. Don’t cry, it’s okay”, Dean says and wipes the tears from Cas’ face and then kisses his cheeks tenderly.  
“You don’t have to worry about it. Your wolf won’t win, you know why?” he asks and Cas looks up at him with big sad eyes.

“Why?” he asks in return and his voice trembles.

“Because I like you better and you are the one in charge, not him. You will learn to control him. Your mind is your own and you will succeed.”

“But I know you like Jimmy. You two have spent a lot more time together. He’s the one you really know. You’ve only known me for a few days. How can you like me better?” Cas asks.

“Cas, I know that this is what it feels like; like Jimmy is a different person, but Jimmy is really you. You are not two different entities. It was you and only you I liked, when you were in your wolf form and you I like now. You remember everything that happened between us, when you were a wolf. Do you not?” Dean asks and Cas lowers his head.

“I guess”, the boy mutters.

“Then, how can you say that we did not spend that time together? I spent all that time with you. It’s only your urges that change when you are a wolf, not you. You’re still the same sweet boy. And you need to learn how to control those urges, in order to be complete. You and Jimmy, as you say –you and the wolf- are two halves of the same person. While he is all animal instinct, you are the logical one. The one who has feelings and that’s why I like this side of you better. This is what makes you different from other animals, Cas. You are a person and you can think; not just do things based on instinct. And that’s why you know that you’re too young to mate, when your wolf doesn’t. Wolves and animals in general can’t think. They are wild. If you really were just a wolf, you wouldn’t have cuddled up to me, you would have torn me to shreds. I knew you were different the moment I laid eyes on you. And that’s why I say that it is you I like better. If you were just a wolf, I would be afraid of you. Now I feel protective of you, I love you. You are rational and you have control over your body. You can turn into a wolf and back into a human whenever you want and you can also make your heat go away. You can make it control your body less and not consume you. You are better than before, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am much better, now that you’re with me. I don’t hurt so much anymore”, Cas says and Dean smiles at him, but the boy seems like there’s something still troubling him.  
“Why would you be afraid of me, if I was just a wolf? Wolves don’t hurt wolves. It’s the pack’s law. I would never hurt you. I would still love you, even if I was just a wolf”, Cas reasons and Dean looks towards Charlie, who nods at him. So, it’s time to really make Cas understand how much different they are.

“Cas, that might be true between wolves, but I think deep down you already know I’m different from you. I can’t turn into a wolf. I’m just a human”, Dean says and waits as his words sink into Cas’ mind.

“But you are my Alpha! How? You are my Alpha, aren’t you? If I am an Omega that makes you the Alpha”, Cas insists.

“Cas, I’m just Dean. I don’t have any other titles. I’m just a male, a man, with no other description. I don’t have any other abilities”, Dean tells him and Cas stares at him.

“But you said that you would give me puppies. You can give me puppies in the future, right?” Cas asks and he looks terrified of what Dean might answer.

Dean eyes him warily, before he answers.  
“I don’t know, if we are compatible. I might be able to, but there is one thing you have to know…”

“What is that?” Cas asks worried.

“If you really want me to be your mate, Cas, you have to know that I can’t give you everything an Alpha werewolf can. Like in your heats; I’ll probably won’t be able to take care of you like a werewolf can. I don’t have a knot. And I know you’ve asked me, since the moment I came here today to knot you. It is something that you obviously want and need and I don’t have that.”

Cas just looks at him for a moment and then he asks him.  
“So, you’re like a Beta, then? Except you can’t turn into a wolf?”

“I guess?” Dean sort of asks hesitantly, looking towards Charlie for help. Anytime now would be great.

“I don’t mind… I still want you to be my mate. I love you. I can live without a knot, but I can’t without you. You’re my A… my Dean”, Cas says and then gives open mouthed kisses on Dean’s neck.  
“But I still want to have puppies…” the boy says.

“And you will have”, Charlie reassures as she steps next to the bathtub and kneels, holding a jar with an ointment in it.  
“I assure you that you and Dean are perfectly compatible, so don’t worry, Cas. In the future, he can give you pups”, she says and smiles at the boy, while Dean sighs above his head, without Cas realizing it. The little Omega, however, can’t help the smile that spreads across his face.  
“Now, this over here will help you with the emptiness and that pain you feel between your legs, in your opening. I made it from some herbs. It will make you feel much better, I promise”, she says and pets the boy’s head.

“What do I do with it?” Cas asks then.

“First, we need to get you out of the tub, since you feel better. That means the fever has dropped. And we don’t want Dean to freeze. Because he is a human, he doesn’t have such a high temperature as a wolf. And he is still injured”, Charlie answers and Cas turns his head just to kiss Dean on the neck again to comfort him.

“Then get us out. I don’t want my Dean to freeze”, he says and then kisses Dean again, who kisses his hair in return.

“Okay, Benny, help them”, she calls the werewolf, who comes holding a big towel. Cas stands with Dean’s help and goes willingly to Benny’s arms this time, who wraps him in the towel. Then, Dean stands, careful not to hurt his left foot and all his other injuries and Charlie gives him a towel of his own, after he steps outside the bathtub. He can’t stop the chattering of his teeth that starts again and his lips, his toes and fingers look a little blue, but he doesn’t mind. All he cares about is Cas and how he is doing.

Once they’re in the bedroom and on the bed, Charlie sets the jar next to Cas and then asks him to take some with his fingers and then put it inside his hole with his own hand. Cas turns to look at Dean and Dean nods at him, holding him in place, so that Cas won’t get scared and so, Cas complies. After a few moments pass, the relief is obvious on the boy’s face and Cas starts getting sleepy in Dean’s arms. Charlie takes away the towels and puts a thin blanket to cover them instead. It doesn’t take long for Cas to really fall asleep, buried in Dean’s neck and his arms, their bodies touching everywhere. Dean looks content for the first time.

“Thank you for today. You were really sweet to him and I think your words helped him a lot. I had no idea he was struggling so much with his wolf side. It’s like you knew exactly what to tell him to calm him down. Even though you don’t really accept the role of his mate, you really acted like it, today. So, thank you, you know, for keeping your end of the deal”, Charlie says softly to him, after she has put away everything and sits on the chair next to Cas’ bed. Benny watches them from his position next to the door.

“I didn’t do it for you or the deal. Just for him. I wasn’t lying to him, when I said I loved him. Maybe not in the same way he does, but I do. I really do and I don’t want to see him hurt”, Dean says truthfully and Charlie stares at him.

“A few days ago, you were calling him a monster. Michael told me. Don’t you think that anymore?” she asks.

“No, I don’t. Cas is the most innocent and sweet kid I’ve ever met and it was terribly wrong of me to call him that. I’m going to protect him, no matter what. Even from his own father and that asshole outside who wants to claim him. Over my dead body. I will give Cas the childhood that he deserves. The one he said he wishes to have and no one’s gonna stop me”, Dean says and means every word.

“So they really pissed you too, huh? I’m glad to hear it”, Charlie says and smiles at him.  
“Get some sleep, Dean. You deserve it”, she continues and then stands up and leaves the room to inform the others, while Benny stays at his post by the door.

“You’re a good man, brother”, the werewolf says, as he catches the human’s eye and afterwards, Dean finally closes his eyes, falling into a blissful sleep.


	7. New Accommodations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! I'm back! :)  
> Have a nice summer everyone and forgive me for not posting for so long. I hope that you find this chapter enjoyable and like always, your comments are most welcome! XOXO ;-)

When Charlie steps back into the living room, it is obvious that everyone has been on edge, waiting for some news, but Charlie goes straight to Chuck, ignoring the others. She only gives a nod to Michael and Gabriel and they immediately relax.

“Charlie, how is Cas? Did the human help him at all? Is he any better?” Chuck asks the moment she stands in front of him. Bartholomew is still sitting there and Charlie is doing the best she can to ignore that judgmental look on his face.

“He is doing much better, great Alpha. His fever has gone down and the ointment worked perfectly and it alleviated his pain and lessened his need. He is now sleeping peacefully in the human’s arms”, she finishes, really proud of herself.

“Is that really necessary? I don’t like my mate sleeping with that human”, Bartholomew says suddenly and Charlie glares at him. Can’t the guy just shut up? Who does he think he is, coming here and going on all the time about how he is Cas’ mate.

“Yes, it is very necessary! Because, forgive me for saying this to you, but Dean is the only mate Cas knows right now. Dean is his real mate. He hasn’t even met you, so you don’t get a say in this. Understand?” Charlie can’t stop herself from talking back to him. It is a blessing that Chuck doesn’t react badly at this.

“Let’s just all calm down, shall we?” Michael steps in to defuse the tension.  
“Dad, this is great news. Charlie already proved her theory. It’s only been a little less than an hour and Cas’ fever has gone down and he’s sleeping. He was restless before the human came. I think we should all go back to whatever it is that we should be doing instead of standing around the room and fussing so much over this. We need to let Cas be. Perhaps Bartholomew should come back in a week, when Cas’ heat is over. We clearly don’t need him here for now”, Michael continues and it is obvious from the tone of his voice that he wants Bartholomew out of the house just as much as Charlie does.

“Yeah, dad… I mean, no offence to you, Bartholomew or anything, but you understand that the boy needs his rest and since this seems to be working, we should go with this plan and let him be for now. We don’t want our little brother to start feeling feverish again. We would love to have you back in a week”, Gabriel says quickly, sensing that Michael’s words didn’t help so much, but only agitated the Alpha more. If he never saw that man again, Gabriel would be happy.

“Yes, I think my sons are right, Bartholomew. I would love to have you back in a week, when Cas feels better. And you should also pack some of your things and come stay here for a while. I’d like my son to get to know you better. He will need as much time with you as possible to get over the human”, Chuck says and smiles at him, extending his hand to Bartholomew, who kneels before him and lets him place his hand on top of his head, like the wolf law says is the right thing to do in front of the pack’s Alpha.

“I will be back in a week, then”, Bartholomew says as he stands back up.  
“Thank you, great Alpha. I can’t wait to meet your son and my future mate”, he adds and stares at Cas’ brothers and Charlie during the last part.

“We’ll be happy to have you, son. We will prepare a room for you in the house. Goodbye”, Chuck finishes and Bartholomew bows one more time and then finally takes his leave.

 

~*~

 

_...ONE WEEK LATER…_

Dean opens his eyes and finds Cas staring at him. It’s the most relaxed and happy he’s seen him in a week and that puts a smile on his face.  
“Hey, buddy, what’s up? How are you feeling?” he asks.

“It’s over. My heat is over. I feel like myself again”, Cas says and smiles wider at Dean.

“That’s great news, Cas. I’m so happy for you”, Dean tells him, while smiling and then ruffles his hair affectionately. Suddenly Cas’ face falls.

“What’s the matter?” Dean asks him.

“If my heat is over, it means that I won’t get to sleep with you anymore. I don’t wanna. I want to keep sleeping with you, Dean. Ever since we first met, we’ve been always sleeping together. I don’t want that to change. You are my mate… we should… We should make it official, so that we can keep sleeping in the same bed”, Cas says and moves closer to Dean, hugging him tightly.

“Cas, I don’t know whether that is something that your dad or brothers will allow. I mean we talked about some ritual or something, but they said that they would give me my own room or cabin or whatever… I don’t know. I just don’t think that this is something that they will agree to. Besides, don’t you want to have your own bed? I’m like taking all the space here. You will be more comfortable without me”, Dean insists and strokes the little boy’s back soothingly.

“I’m only comfortable, when I’m sleeping with you. I don’t want my own bed. I want to move in with you in your new cabin. I don’t like it here anymore”, Cas says and pouts, burying his face in Dean’s neck.

“Cas, we’ve talked about this. We can live together only when you get older. Now you need to stay here with your family. You will see me every day, it’s not like I’m going anywhere. We will spend as much time as you want during the day, okay?” Dean asks and Cas lifts his head to look at him, while still pouting.

“Okay? Come on, don’t be like this”, Dean says and strokes his face.  
“Now that you’re feeling better and that your heat is over, you get to go outside and play with your friends, spend more time with your brothers… Come on, it’s gonna be awesome”, he continues and smiles at him, making Cas smile as well.

“Oh, well, rise and shine everyone. How are we today?” Charlie asks, as she enters the room, making them both turn to look at her. Only then does Dean notice Benny standing by the door. He must have been standing there all along, since he never leaves them alone in the room, but Dean keeps forgetting that he’s there, because he never talks, if they don’t talk to him.

“Cas, honey, how did you sleep? Are you feeling better, today?” Charlie asks Cas, as she sits at the foot of the bed.

“No, I feel awful. I think I need more sleep and more time with Dean”, Cas answers and Charlie frowns worriedly.

“Why? What’s the matter? Your heat should be over by now”, she says and takes her notebook out to check her notes of Cas’ progression.

“Please, don’t do that”, Dean scolds Cas and then he turns to Charlie.  
“He’s fine. He just wants to keep sleeping with me. His heat is over”, he says and watches as Charlie relaxes and Benny snorts behind her.

“No, it’s not. It’s back. I feel feverish. I need my mate”, Cas says and holds Dean tightly. Dean and Charlie can’t help but laugh at his reaction.

“Cas, we talked about this okay? You can see me whenever you want during the day. Don’t lie and make Charlie worry for nothing.”

Cas sighs and disentangles himself from Dean, sitting up to look at Charlie.  
“Yeah, okay… I’m fine. My heat is over”, he says, looking still miserable.

“Cas, I promise you, it’s going to be okay”, Charlie says and smiles at him.  
“Your dad will be very happy to hear that you’ve fully recovered. Besides, aren’t you sick of lying down all day? Kevin and Samandriel will be thrilled to see you. They’ve been waiting patiently for you to get well, so that you could all play together”, she finishes and Cas perks up at that.

“They have?” he asks and Charlie smiles at him.

“If I’m not mistaken, they were playing right outside, before I came in here. They have all week. They never go too far from the house, because they want to be close to you. You know, if you hurry up and shower and eat your breakfast, I will let you go outside and play with them today. You need to get out and breathe some fresh air. What do you say?” Charlie asks and Cas is out of the bed in no time, but then suddenly he pauses.

“What about Dean? Can he come play with us? I don’t want to leave him alone”, Cas says, looking at Dean with a sad expression on his face.

“Don’t worry, buddy. You can go. You need to spend some time with your friends. I won’t be alone. I’ll see you later”, Dean tells him and that relaxes the boy a little.

“Yes, he won’t be alone and he will have plenty to do. He will move to his new cabin, today and Benny will show him the garage where he will be working, when he gets better. He won’t be able to play with you today, because he still has a bad foot and arm and he is weak. Okay, Cas?” Charlie asks and Cas agrees reluctantly. Then he climbs back onto the bed and gives Dean a goodbye kiss on his cheek, before he leaves the room to go wash up before breakfast.

“So, are you ready to see your new home for the next few years?” Charlie asks Dean, when she turns to him. Dean sighs.

“As ready as I’ll ever be”, he says and carefully gets up from the bed.

 

_...THREE HOURS LATER…_

Dean walks around in the garage with the help of a crutch. This is the place where he is supposed to start working, when he recovers. Benny and Charlie both took him first to his cabin, which is close to the garage, and where he realized they had put all his things from his apartment. They weren’t lying when they said that they took everything. All his clothes, his laptop, his books. Everything is now carefully placed in his new cabin. Then, Charlie left Benny to give him the garage’s tour.

“Well, what do you think? Do you like it?” Benny asks, as he watches Dean taking the place in. It’s an old and filthy building made out of wood, like everything else in this camp. Dean notices some old tools on a wooden table at the far end wall. It is certainly missing some important stuff, but it will have to do. It’s nothing like Bobby’s garage, but he doesn’t think that he’s going to have much to do here. How many cars could the wolves have anyway?

“It sure could use some work, but it’s okay, I guess.”

“We haven’t had a mechanic for a while now and we were taking our trucks into town. But now that you’re here and you happen to be a real mechanic, we thought that this was the right job for you. It’s not like we would let you stay here for free. You have to give back to the community somehow and I’m not taking you for the hunting type.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not. I’ve never hunted in my entire life. That’s more my father’s kind of thing. My grandfather, my dad’s father, used to take him hunting when he was a kid; before he disappeared on him, anyway. Now my dad goes hunting often. He’s the reason we have that cabin in the woods. He goes there, when he’s hunting. I’m surprised he never ran into you guys.”

“If he had, he wouldn’t have survived to tell the story”, Benny says and smirks, when he sees Dean’s expression.  
“I’m just joking. We have a way of leading the hunters away from our grounds. It’s actually what I do, besides hunting. I’m on patrol and when we see any humans, we use our wolf forms to chase them away, before they get too close to camp and see the cabins and the community we have here. We don’t hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it.”

“Well, that’s reassuring”, Dean says and keeps looking around.

“Anything you find missing, you can tell us and we’ll get it for you to make this place run properly. And apart from the garage, you can ask me anything you want to know about the camp. You’re stuck with us now, so you might as well blend in; if that’s even possible.”

Dean turns to look at Benny then.  
“You said that you’re working on patrol, but you’re with me all day long. What’s up with that?”

“Our Alpha said that you needed to be guarded for our safety and for your own, until he decides otherwise. And besides, you are the one who asked Charlie that I become your permanent guard.”

“So, you will be guarding me until he trusts me? Like that’s going to happen…” Dean says and pauses.  
“Hey, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, you can ask me anything, Dean. I know that the Alpha is still reluctant to trust you, but I’ve seen the way you are treating his son and I think that you are trustworthy.”

“Thank you for saying that”, Dean says truthfully. The fact that Benny trusts him means a lot to him, especially since he trusts Benny as well.

“You’re welcome”, Benny replies and Dean gives him a restrained smile.  
“It’s just… It’s probably stupid, but it’s something that I noticed while I was here. I haven’t seen a single old person in the camp. Do you keep them locked up or is there something else going on?” Dean asks finally.

“So, you’ve already noticed that, huh? Right to the deepest secrets of our pack then”, Benny says and laughs.

“So, does that mean that I’m not crazy? That there’s something really going on?”

“It’s a wolf thing. We age differently than humans. We are aging the same until we become adults. Then, the aging slows down, like a lot. I’m sure you’ve noticed Chuck. He doesn’t look much older than Michael or Gabriel and they’re his sons. But the truth is that he is much older than them.”

“How much older? How old is he?” Dean asks and he is afraid to find out the answer to that.

Benny smirks and then he answers.  
“He is one thousand and thirty five years old. Michael is two hundred and twenty and Gabriel is one hundred and fifty. I myself am one hundred and twenty three. So, as you probably understand Cas, who’s almost nine years old, really is the baby of the family.”

“OH MY GOD!” Dean exclaims and stares at Benny in horror.

“I know. It’s a lot to take in.”

“Wow. Just wow”, Dean mutters and then composes himself.  
“So, are there any people here who are older than Chuck?”

“He’s not the first Alpha for no reason, you know. He is one of the oldest, but there are still a few people older than him, who are part of the wolves’ council. But they are not Alphas. You’ll meet them in time”, Benny answers.

“So, you have a council? Chuck isn’t the only one making decisions around here?” Dean asks with interest.

“Well, his word is what matters the most, but the council helps him with his decisions and the Alpha trusts them with his life. So, if you want your life to become easier around here, you’d better take them on your side. Get them to like you.”

Dean sighs and walks slowly outside. He sees people walking around, minding their own business, although there are a few who give him weird looks. Others are in their wolf forms and they are running around. If Dean didn’t know what they really are, he would be afraid of them. Well, more afraid.

“Are you tired? Do you want to head back to the cabin?” Benny asks him.

“Yeah, I think I need to sit down. Especially if I’m going to hear more of this crazy talk”, Dean answers and Benny laughs, before he walks him back to his cabin.

Once they’re inside, Dean finds himself looking around again. This cabin will be his home for the next few years. It isn’t much, but Dean is surprised by Chuck’s generosity. It is quite charming and spacy inside, even though it looks small outside. It has a bathroom that is functioning and a bedroom with a queen sized bed and a door that actually has a lock. The kitchen isn’t much, but it has fresh running water that is drinkable, a small fridge, an oven and a table with two chairs and then, the rest of this room’s space is taken by the living room. It consists of a small couch that is oriented towards a smart TV that Dean recognizes is the one from his bedroom and the blu-ray player that he had in his old living room. On either side of the TV there are bookshelves. On the bottom of the left bookcase Dean sees all his DVD and blu-ray collection, while the rest of the shelves are taken by his books. Under the eastern window there is a desk with a chair. Dean smiles when he sees his laptop on top of it. They really took the time to make this place like his own.

Dean heads towards the couch and sits down with a loud sigh. Benny follows his example and takes a chair from the kitchen table and sits near him.

“I love what you’ve done with the place. It’s really cozy. My stuff look good in here”, Dean says.

“Yeah, it looks nice. You should have seen it a week ago. It was horrible and filthy. Tessa, Michael’s wife, with the help of a few others, cleaned it up for you and she personally took care of your stuff. She didn’t want you to feel unwelcome”, Benny says, nodding at the good work that has been done around the place.

“Tessa? She’s the one that brought me soup the other day, isn’t she? She’s nice, I like her. I can’t tell the same thing for Michael though. If you ask me, she’s too good for him.”

“Michael is a good guy, if you get to know him a little better. He’s just overprotective of Cas. But I don’t really blame him. When Cas went missing, things were really hard for him. He was worried about Cas and he also had his father blaming him for what had happened. Even if he acts tough around you, believe me when I say it that he’s actually starting to like you. He’s grateful to you for helping his brother and he and Gabriel always take your side, when they talk with their father.”

“I don't know what to think about Gabriel. He is a weird little guy, isn’t he? Well, if a one hundred and fifty year old man can be called little”, Dean says, rolling his eyes at how unbelievable all this is. Benny just snorts.

“So, has it always been that way? Has Chuck always been your leader?” Dean asks then.

“For as long as I’m alive, yes. But the pack had another leader before him. They called him the true Alpha, but some five hundred years ago, he left the pack high and dry and Chuck took over. And that one was much older then, in comparison to Chuck now.”

“Why were they calling him the true Alpha? He seems like a jerk to me, if he left his people like that”, Dean says confused.

“Well, the legend of the pack has it that he was one of the first werewolves. He was practically what you would call royalty among the wolves and his line was blessed with great strength and power. Any child he had would automatically become a true Alpha themselves, but for as long as he was our pack’s leader, he never had any. We don’t know if he did afterwards or if he created a new pack. We don’t know where he went or whether he is alive today.”

“That’s some story you have there. So, I guess that means that Chuck isn’t from his line then. If he came back, would he be able to claim his old place as the pack’s leader?”

“Wolves don’t forget that easily and they were really hurt, when he left. I imagine that it would be hard for him to reclaim his position. But the members of our pack also respect him and fear him; so, it could happen. There are still some people loyal to him. Most of them are members of the council. I don’t think he would ever return though. I mean, why would he? Why now, after all these years? As for Chuck and his family, they might not come from his line, but their line is also old and noble”, Benny finishes and then suddenly they hear the sound of a truck stopping a few feet away from the cabin.

“Who is that?” Dean asks without getting up to see. From the window he sees a blue truck parked outside the Alpha’s house.

“I’m afraid the Alpha’s guest for the week has arrived”, Benny says and pauses, when he sees the curious and worried expression on Dean’s face.  
“It’s Bartholomew”, Benny finishes and Dean’s eyes go wide.

“Son of a bitch!”


	8. It's A Complicated Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy! ;-)

It’s been a long time since Cas has been with his friends like this. They are sitting by the river splashing around and playing in their human forms. Even before his heat came during last week, his father wouldn’t let him go outside and play with them, because he was afraid that he might disappear again. They still played with each other inside the house, but it was not the same. He felt trapped in his own room. But now Cas looks relaxed and well, knowing that his mate is near him, and with Charlie’s reassurance, Chuck finally let him go out.

He has missed being this close to nature. His wolf likes being outside, it appeases him a little and keeps him from coming to the surface and Cas certainly likes that. He’s tired of the fight with his wolf side. He’s tired of always losing to him and not being able to come back to himself. He wishes he was more like his friends. The other two, Kevin and Samandriel, always look like they want to change into their wolf forms and they do it at every chance they get. They never had any problems like Castiel still has, but after the latest events it was forbidden to them to shift, when they are with their omega friend, because Cas isn’t allowed to do that yet. So, they always stay humans instead and after playing and horsing around in this form for so long, Kevin gets bored and he decides to talk.

“So, what’s it like having a mate? Did he knot you during your heat?” the little dark haired boy asks, turning his attention to Cas, as he picks a rock and throws it in the river with boredom. Kevin is Castiel’s best friend and Cas has always felt comfortable talking to him about anything, but now he wishes Kevin wouldn’t always be so curious.

“No, he didn’t. He wasn’t allowed to, because they said I’m too young for that and it would hurt”, Cas answers, looking away, as his cheeks turn bright red.

“Too young? My sister Rachel was the same age as you, when she and Inias mated. She never said anything about hurting and she is an omega, just like you”, comes Samandriel’s voice, as he sits right next to him. The blonde boy seems eager to learn more about this, making Cas all the more uncomfortable.

“Well, it’s not the same”, the omega snaps.  
“Dean and I are different”, he says then and lowers his eyes.

“Is it true what they say? That he’s human? I’ve never seen a human before. What is he like?” Kevin asks, changing the subject, sensing his friend’s uneasiness. Until today, his friends have never asked him anything about what happened and Dean; they were asked not to, because Cas was too traumatized to talk about these things and Cas himself never tried to bring the subject up. He felt comfortable just playing games with his friends.

“He’s great. I also met his mom and dad and his brother and some other people. They all seemed nice and they were really kind to me”, Cas answers truthfully, remembering his time with the Winchesters.

“That’s because they only thought you were a wolf. If they knew the truth, they wouldn’t be so nice. That’s what my dad says”, Samandriel interrupts him.

“That’s not true. Your dad doesn’t know anything. Dean knows what I am and loves me all the same”, Cas retorts, glaring at his blonde friend.

“Humans and werewolves don’t match. I don’t understand how you can’t see that”, Samandriel keeps talking.

“And how would you know? You’ve never even seen one. Dean is greater than all the alphas and other wolves I’ve ever met combined and I could never be more proud that he is my mate.”

“My dad says that the reason they didn’t let him consummate your bond was because they’re going to give you another mate. A real alpha. The human is only temporary, so don’t get too attached”, Samandriel says and Kevin gives him a warning look.

“Sammy, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Where did you hear all this nonsense? Leave Cas alone”, the dark haired boy says, in an attempt to protect his friend.

“I told you, my dad said it. I heard him talking with mom, yesterday. He said that your dad has already picked a mate for you and that he would be coming soon to see you.”

“That’s a lie. Dean is my mate. Charlie said that even though he is human, we can have pups together when I get a little older. My dad wouldn’t do that to me”, Cas says, sounding terrified of the idea of having a different mate.

“I’m just telling you what I heard. I’m sorry. I hope it’s not true, but then again, why would they say it, if it isn’t? I’m afraid that they’re lying to you. All that stuff about hurting is a lie. I’ve never heard of a wolf hurting their mate when they’re bonding. Does the human even have the right parts to do what he is supposed to do? My dad says their reproductive system is different.”

“Look at you, Sammy, learning new big words. Did you write it down to tell us? Do you even know how the word ‘reproductive’ is spelled? Your dad keeps saying nonsense, so shut it. Charlie, the pack’s DOCTOR says that Cas can have pups with his human, so stop giving him shit about it”, Kevin yells at Samandriel, getting into full protective mode.

“Sammy is right”, Cas whispers.

“What was that?” Kevin asks.

“I said Sammy is right. Dean told me himself. He said that he is different than an alpha. He said he doesn’t have a knot to ease me through my heats. He can never knot me. He is like a beta”, the little boy admits sadly.

“Betas are cool. Charlie told me that she thinks I’ll be a beta”, Kevin says, trying to cheer his friend up.

“Betas are good for betas. Omegas need alphas to survive”, Samandriel says, making Kevin want to punch him.

“Who asked you?” the dark haired boy asks irritated.

“Do you think that my dad will try to give me a different mate, because Dean can’t knot me? My heat was terrible. Dean was sad, because he couldn’t give me what I was asking him. Do you think it is always going to be like that? Even when I get older?” Cas asks with a sad expression on his face, when he turns to look at Kevin.

“I don’t know, Cas. But I don’t think Dean would lie to you. Like you said, he loves you”, Kevin tries to reassure him.

“I’m not sure that he sees me the same way I see him. He thinks I’m just a child. He told me many times that he is too big and too old for me”, Cas admits, while pouting.

“How old is he?” Kevin asks.

“I asked Charlie and she told me he is twenty six.”

“That’s not too old. I thought that he would be much older, when you said that. He is very young actually”, Kevin says reassuringly, making Cas smile.

“People don’t age the same as werewolves do”, Samandriel speaks again.

“Let me guess; your dad told you”, Kevin says, glaring at him.

“What do you mean?” Cas asks.

“Most of them live for about eighty years. Some reach a hundred, but then they die. And they don’t look so good after a while. They get wrinkles and stuff, like Missouri”, Samandriel says, as Cas stares at him.

“No, that can’t be true. Dean is… Dean and I will live our lives together and we won’t die for a very long time. You are lying. That can’t be true. Dean is young”, Cas all but yells at him.

“I never said he wasn’t”, Samandriel defends himself.

“I need to see Dean”, Cas says then as he gets up and runs back towards the cabins.

“Great job. Are you happy now?” Kevin asks and glares at Samandriel.

“What?” the blonde boy asks defensively again.

“Whatever”, Kevin answers and gets up and then follows his friend back to the camp, leaving Samandriel alone by the river.

 

~*~

 

When Benny tells him about Bartholomew, Dean nearly flips out. How can these people be like this? How can they not care that Cas is just a child and they’re trying to force a mate on him that Cas himself probably won’t want. It irritates him to no end and the fact that that person is Bartholomew angers him even more. He only needed a few minutes with him in a room full of people to understand that the guy is a dick.

“Why the hell are they doing this? Charlie’s plan worked. We got him through his heat and now he is fine. Why do they have to bring that guy? Can’t Cas’ father just wait for a few years? He just got his son back and all he thinks about is how he is going to hand him over to that guy like he is cattle. What the actual hell?” Dean yells, not to Benny in particular, but Benny understands where Dean is coming from and he agrees with him.

“I don’t know, brother. I don’t understand what Chuck is thinking, but I’m afraid it has something to do with you.”

“Meaning?” Dean asks irritated.

“I think that he doesn’t want Cas to get too attached to you and that’s why he is so eager for his son to meet now with Bartholomew. It will be much harder for Cas to accept Bartholomew later and Chuck certainly doesn’t want a human like you becoming his son in law. Not even a single werewolf would ever agree to that; no offence.”

“None taken. I just… All of this is just so wrong, you know? Cas is only a kid. I gave him my word, Benny, that I’ll never take advantage of Cas like that. I mean I know that my word probably doesn’t mean much to Chuck, but can’t he just wait even for a few months?”

“Well, even a few months would prove to be too much time. We can all see how deep the bond you and Cas have created is. Chuck doesn’t like that one bit. He’s worried.”

“So, now what? Am I just supposed to sit here and wait while Cas is being courted by that asshole? No way. I want to see him. I won’t allow this. Cas is supposed to be my mate”, Dean says furiously and gets up from the couch, while getting ahold of his crutch. Benny stares at him with a weird expression on his face.

“What?” Dean asks then, noticing Benny’s grimace.

“Nothing. It’s just… If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you sound like a jealous husband”, Benny answers as he looks carefully at Dean, who stares back at him.  
“You’re not, are you? Jealous I mean. You don’t see Cas like that, do you? You just see him as a kid.” Benny’s question startles Dean and he just looks at him with his mouth hanging open, until he composes himself again and answers.

“Are you crazy? Of course I’m not jealous. I’m just worried about Cas. I’m not a pedophile, if that’s what you’re implying”, Dean says irritated.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted for things to be clear between us. Because Dean, if that ever happened and you developed feelings for Cas, it wouldn’t end well for you. I’m just trying to be honest with you here. I like you and I don’t want to have to bury your body in the woods.”

“Wow, well thanks for your concern. You already know that when the time is up, I’m planning to leave this place. I’m not staying here a minute longer than I have to. You and Charlie both promised me that you would help me escape. ‘Till then, I’m just trying to do right by the kid. I don’t want to see him being mistreated. I’m just holding my end of the deal. I’m not falling for him. I mean, I care about him a lot, but not in the way that you’re implying. Just so we’re clear”, Dean says and then walks towards the front door.

“I understand”, Benny says and then gets up as well.  
“Where are you going?” he asks then.

“To find Cas. I’m not leaving him alone with that dick”, Dean replies and gets out. Benny lets a sigh escape his lips and then follows him.

 

~*~

**_  
_ **

When Cas runs back to the camp, he doesn’t get a chance to reach Dean’s cabin, because Michael stops him near their house. There is a car parked outside that Castiel does not recognize, but he is too freaked out to give it any attention.

“Whoa whoa whoa… Where are you running to, little man?” Michael asks, when he gets ahold of his brother’s arm and brings him to a stop. Cas just breathes fast and hard, looking for a way out. He needs to talk to Dean now.

“Need to find Dean. I have to talk to him”, Cas answers, trying to catch his breath. Michael’s face gets serious and worried all of the sudden.

“Why? What happened? Did he do something to you? Why are you so freaked out?” Michael demands to know.

Cas stares at him.  
“Is it true? That people age much faster than werewolves and that they only live for a hundred years?” Cas’ eyes are pleading him to say that it is a lie and Michael’s heart breaks at the sight of his brother’s face, which is filled with pain.

“Who told you that?” Michael asks instead of answering.

“Samandriel. Tell me, is it true?” Cas asks again.

“Yeah, Cas… it’s true. I’m sorry.”

At the sound of his words, Cas’ eyes fill with tears. Michael tries to comfort him by hugging him, but Castiel pulls back and gets out of his grasp.

“Cas, hey… don’t be like that. You already knew how different you and Dean are. This is one more reason for you to let him go. He’s not the one for you”, Michael says and Cas glares at him.

“Dean is the only mate I’ll ever have, even if that means that I’ll stay alone, when he dies. I don’t care. I will never accept a different mate”, Cas all but screams in Michael’s face.

“What seems to be the matter?” comes a soft voice from somewhere behind Cas. When he turns to see who it is, he finds Missouri, one of the elders, looking at him.

Michael stands up from his crouched position beside Cas, as his brother clings to his legs, and speaks. Cas has always been afraid of that woman. She gives a weird vibe that the little omega doesn’t get.  
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Missouri. It’s nothing. Cas is just a little upset about something he found out”, Michael answers and pets his brother’s hair to help him relax.

“What did he find out?” Missouri asks, while looking at Cas, who still clings to his brother and tries to hide his face.

“I’m sure you’ve heard about the human. The one who had Cas this whole time. Cas wants him to be his mate and he just found out that people don’t live as long as werewolves do and now he is upset”, Michael says and holds Cas closer to his body, when he feels the boy’s uneasiness.

“Oh, is that it?” Missouri asks and smiles.  
“You shouldn’t worry, dear. We can always just turn him into a werewolf. Problem solved”, she says and for the first time, Cas stops hiding and clinging to Michael and looks at her expectantly.

“Can we do that?” he asks.

“Sure we can. If your wolf has decided that this human is your mate, then it leaves us no choice. Sooner or later the human will have to be turned”, she answers and Cas’ smile grows wide on his face.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves”, Michael says then and gets ahold of his brother again, who turns to look at him.  
“Cas, dad wanted me to find you. There is someone here that wants very much to meet you”, he says and immediately Cas’ eyes darken. He only seems to remember just now the weird car parked outside their house.

“Who is it? And why do they want to meet me?” Cas asks, while staring at his brother.

“Uhm…” Michael begins to answer, but before he has a chance to continue, Dean appears with Benny right behind him and Cas runs to the human, hugging him tightly.

“Dean”, the boy murmurs happily as he hugs the older man.

“Hey, buddy”, Dean says and pets his hair.  
“What are you all doing, standing out here?” he asks, looking at the other two; Michael and a woman he has never seen before now.

“Someone wants to meet me. They’re inside with my dad”, Cas says.

“Oh. Well, since I’m your mate, what do you say we go inside and meet them together, huh?” Dean asks and Cas smiles at him, happy that he was just called Dean’s mate.

“Okay”, the boy answers and hugs Dean again, before both of them, along with Benny, step inside the house, leaving Michael alone with Missouri.

“So, that’s the human then”, she says, her eyes unfocused, but still looking at the house’s door, behind which Dean disappeared.

“Yes. That’s the human”, Michael answers, confused at Missouri’s reaction.

“I think I need to be at that meeting”, she says then out of the blue and goes too inside the house, leaving Michael by himself.

“That was weird”, he murmurs and follows her inside.

****

~*~

**_  
_ **

Chuck is sitting right next to Bartholomew on the couch, talking, as they’re waiting for Michael to bring Cas. Bartholomew can’t hide his excitement for finally getting to meet his future mate, and the Alpha is glad about that, but then he’s still thinking of how Cas might react to this. Charlie has mentioned a lot to him that could go wrong, if a different mate of his choice was forced upon Cas at this age, but then again he can’t even stand the idea of Cas being mated with the human any longer, so he has to try this. Dean irritates him like no other and he wishes he could just kill him already and save everyone the trouble, but Cas is far more important to him than his feelings towards the human. He was patient during the week of his son’s heat and said nothing; but being aware all the time that Cas was spending every moment of every day and night in the human’s arms only served to fill him with disgust for Dean and for his kind.

‘This has to work’, Chuck keeps thinking, not hearing a word of what Bartholomew is currently saying to him. The only thing that draws his attention is his son’s arrival, which brings a smile on his face, only for it to fade pretty quickly, when he notices Dean coming right behind Cas.

“Hello”, Dean says cheerfully, as if he owns the place, while Cas sticks to his side, holding his free hand that’s not supporting the crutch. Benny snorts behind Dean, but tries to hide it, feigning a cough.

Chuck is ready to say something to him, but when Missouri steps inside the room, he stops and instead gets up to greet her, showing his respect. The elders of the pack are the only werewolves that Chuck treats like that. The rest of the werewolves are always the ones who greet him respectfully and not the other way around.

“Missouri, I didn’t know you were coming. Is something wrong?” he asks after he has greeted her.

“Oh no, dear, don’t worry. I just came, ‘cause I heard you have a guest and I also have been meaning to meet the human. So, here I am. I don’t suppose you mind my presence here?” she asks, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Oh, no, of course not. Why would I mind? Please, everyone, sit down”, Chuck says and takes his place again beside Bartholomew, who is currently too busy glaring at Dean.

Benny goes to greet Chuck, kneeling before him and then Chuck’s staring at Dean, waiting for him to do the same, but instead Dean pays no attention to him and goes to sit in an armchair. Not long after he has taken his seat, Cas climbs and sits on his lap, resting his back on Dean’s front. Missouri, taking note of both of them, can’t help but smile mischievously, before she takes her seat as well. It is customary for everyone to greet the great Alpha of the pack, whenever they meet him out of respect. The only ones who don’t always do that are his sons, but even they do it most of the time. Only Cas never does it, because he is the baby of the family and he doesn’t see the point in greeting his own dad like that, but Dean of course doesn’t know any of these things and even though he’s seen others act like that in front of Chuck, he doesn’t feel like he owes the Alpha to show him any kind of respect, when at the same time he doesn’t respect his own son.

When Michael comes inside the room, after running into his wife on the way in, he takes in the awkward image of everyone in the living room and sighs, before he goes to kneel before his father, who places his hand on his son's head and then sits down.

Chuck tries to calm his nerves that the image of the human with Cas on his lap has created and speaks softly at his son.  
“Cas, this man right here has come a long way to meet you. His name is Bartholomew and he is an alpha”, he says and waits expectantly for Cas to get off Dean and go and welcome Bartholomew like it is the right thing to do. Cas ignores him, however, and gets more comfortable on Dean.

“Hi, I’m Cas and this is my mate Dean”, he says instead, remembering Samandriel’s words of the mate his dad is supposedly planning to get for him and wraps Dean’s arms around him. If this is the reason that this man is here, he is not going to make it easy for his dad. He will never accept a different mate from Dean.

“Hello, little one”, Bartholomew answers, trying to compose himself. He wants so badly to hit Dean’s stupid face and rip Cas away from his arms.  
“I’m afraid I must have heard wrong. Mate you said? I was under the impression that the human’s role was temporary. Surely you with your looks can easily find a strong alpha for you to mate.”

“I already have a strong mate. I don’t need a different one. And Dean is permanent, not temporary”, Cas answers softly, but glares at him all the same.

Bartholomew can’t help but laugh at the boy’s comment.  
“Nothing is ever permanent, little one. Especially when it comes to a human. He might look strong and young now, but after a few years he won’t be able to catch up with you and he won't be what you need anymore. People age fast, you know”, Bartholomew says and smirks at Dean, who glares at him in return, but says nothing.

“I know”, Cas looks unfazed by the alpha’s comment.  
“That’s why he will be turned in a few years and become a werewolf himself”, he says and feels Dean stiffen beneath him. Both Chuck and Bartholomew stare at the boy, while the others and especially Michael just look uncomfortable. The only one who looks like she always does is Missouri, not giving away anything, while on the other hand Dean is just petrified.  
“Isn’t that right?” Cas asks, turning to look at the woman.

“Of course, baby boy. We can always arrange that, if you are certain of your choice in partner”, she says, making Chuck stare at her.

“I am. I love Dean”, Cas says and turns in Dean’s arms to hug him properly and kisses the human’s neck.

“Excuse me, I think I need to get some fresh air”, Bartholomew says, getting up from his seat and glaring at Dean one last time, before he gets out of the room and the house. Everyone is silent for a few seconds, before Chuck turns to look at Missouri again, after staring at Cas and Dean for a while.

“Missouri, can I talk to you in my office, please?” he says and gets up.

“Of course, Alpha. It would be my pleasure”, she says and before she follows him out of the room, she looks at Dean again, the same way she did before, like she is reading him.

Dean catches her eye and feels all the more uncomfortable, after the bomb Cas just dropped. Benny is the only one who looks at him sympathetically and Dean is grateful for that. How is he supposed to get out of this one now?


	9. Memories

The silence is deafening after Missouri and Chuck leave the room. Dean is left with Cas, Michael and Benny. He is still sitting stiffly with Cas on his lap and he looks unresponsive to the boy’s soft caresses. Cas, unlike other times, seems to realize the panic that his words have caused to the human and he’s trying to comfort him.

“Dean?” he asks after a couple of minutes.  
“Are you okay?” he is currently staring at him with those huge blue eyes of his and Dean feels like the boy is staring into his soul.

His voice sounds weird when it comes out.  
“Yeah, Cas… I just. I think I’m a little tired. I think I should go home and lie down for a while”, Dean says. Which is true to an extent, but it is definitely not the reason he wants to go home. He desperately needs some alone time right now, to get all this new information through his skull. Up until now, he never thought that there was such possibility. Sure, he heard Charlie and Benny’s conversation that day and he thinks he heard them talking about it, that it could be done -turn him into a werewolf that is- but he never believed that it was an actual possibility until today, when he heard Cas voicing it and that woman, Missouri, agreeing to it.

“Oh, can I come with you? I’m sleepy too”, Cas says and hugs him tightly. Michael sees the desperation in Dean’s eyes and gets up, disentangling his brother from the human to Cas’ protests.  
“What are you doing, Mikey? I wanna go with Dean”, he cries and starts kicking his brother, when he picks him up in his arms.

“You heard him, Cas. He is tired and he needs to sleep. You won’t do any good, if you go with him. He needs some alone time… it’s a people thing”, Michael adds and Cas’ protests die down.

“But I wasn’t going to bother him. I just wanted to sleep”, Cas says and he is pouting, when Michael puts him down on the floor.

“Cas, you know very well that dad wouldn’t allow that anyway. And besides, Tessa has the food almost ready and Gabriel will be here soon from the hunt, so that we can all have dinner with our guest. It would be rude for you to go now.”

“I don’t like him. He keeps making fun of my mate”, Cas says, while crossing his arms in front of his chest stubbornly.

“You don’t have to like him. You only need to be polite. I thought I had taught you better than that”, Michael scolds him and if that’s even possible Cas pouts even more.

“But Dean hasn’t eaten either. Shouldn’t he stay and eat with us? Dean, aren’t you hungry?” the boy asks, when he turns to look at Dean.

Dean is taken aback by the question, but there is only one answer to that, because his stomach is in knots.  
“No, Cas. I feel too tired to eat. I just want to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” he says and gets up carefully, while grabbing his crutch.

“’kay”, says Cas, defeated.  
“Will you at least give me a goodnight kiss?” the boy asks and stares at Dean expectantly, while pointing at his cheek with his finger.

“Sure, sport”, Dean agrees and crouches down to kiss him on the cheek, when suddenly Cas turns his head and Dean catches his lips instead, freezing in his spot. When Cas pulls back he has a huge smile on his face.

“Goodnight, Dean”, he says and strokes the man’s face with his hand.

“Alright, that is enough, Cas. You can let him go now”, Michael says and Dean is surprised to find that he doesn’t sound angry after everything he just witnessed. If there was a grown ass man kissing his little under aged brother on the mouth, he wouldn’t have been so unfazed.

“Goodnight, Cas”, he says and stands up, sharing one last look with Michael, before he heads out with Benny.

 

~*~

  
_There’s a soft breeze that makes the leaves on the trees move. He’s deep inside the forest, late at night, enjoying the mystical sounds and all the smells that come along with everything around him. This spot is his favorite. He feels like he’s on top of the world when he comes here. He can hear the river nearby and he can even feel its aura. It feels like it’s alive. The full moon makes the trees look silver and everything looks more beautiful under its light. But that’s not the best thing about the moon. The days that it’s fuller, he can feel it calling out to him and when it does, he comes here at the edge of this high rock and lets the deepest howls escape his mouth. He does the same now, until he catches a scent that’s driving him crazy and looks around frantically to find its source. He knows that smell. He loves that smell. And then he sees it._

_A beautiful black wolf is approaching him. It looks so smug, as it walks closer to him, like it knows how good it looks. Each time it takes his breath away and now even more so under the moonlight. He feels his chest fill with love and his heart flutter, when it reaches him. If wolves could smile, he’s sure that that’s what the black wolf is doing now and then he hears it. It’s talking and yet it’s not; its mouth isn’t moving and yet he hears the words clearly in his mind and he knows they’re coming from the wolf._

_‘I thought I’d find you here’, the black wolf says, as it comes even closer and touches him by positioning its head under his chin. It’s so intimate that it makes him shiver and he rewards the black wolf by licking its fur, like he’s done a thousand times. If wolves could purr, the black wolf fucking does it. It purrs like it’s a freaking cat and then it looks up at him again._

_‘Our pups missed you’, it says and then lays down comfortably next to him, making sure its fur is in contact with his body._

_He’s not sure what he’s supposed to say to that and yet he finds himself talking, but not the same way he usually would. There is no sound when he talks. It just feels like he’s thinking loudly inside his head and yet he knows the other wolf can hear him. That it can understand him._

_‘I know. I missed them too. I missed you more’, are the words he’s thinking and the message apparently gets across to the black wolf, who’s purring again, enjoying this._

_‘My heat is just around the corner. You’ll have plenty of time to prove me just how much you missed me. Perhaps we’ll make more pups.’_

_‘I’d like that. There’s not a thought that makes me happier than the thought of having more pups with you’, he says, but suddenly he feels a battle going on inside his head. He feels confused. He knows that he’s the one who’s saying these things and yet these thoughts, these feelings seem like they don’t belong to him. Like he’s voicing someone else’s words. The black wolf notices the change in him and it looks like it knows what’s wrong._

_‘So, it begins again’ it mutters and it looks sad for a moment, but then hopeful again._

_‘I don’t…’ he starts to say in response, but he really doesn’t know what it is that he wants to say._

_‘It’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid. I know you’re confused. I will help you like I always do. I am your soulmate after all, it’s kind of my responsibility to do it. Relax, Dean’, the black wolf says and then stands back again on all fours and right before Dean’s eyes it shifts into a new form and turns into a man. A gorgeous man with beautiful dark hair that resembles his earlier fur and the most mesmerizing blue eyes he has ever seen, standing there in all his naked glory, like a statue of an ancient Greek god._

_Dean only now realizes that all this time he was just a little taller than the black wolf and now he feels short standing next to its human form, even though he’s sure that he’s standing and that he’s not sitting down. When the man comes close again, Dean only reaches his middle. The man smiles at his confusion and then runs his hand through his fur and scratches behind his ears; his fur… ‘I have fur’, Dean realizes. He looks down at his feet and there it is. Instead of his human body and his human legs, there is a ton of fluffy light brown fur that sometimes looks kind of silver under the moonlight and then he sees paws. He has paws. He’s been a wolf this whole time. Now the howling and the fur licking make sense._

_“You can shift too, if you want. It’s okay, don’t be afraid. Take your human form, I don’t mind”, the man says and Dean immediately knows that he can do what the man is asking him to do and not much later he’s standing on his two own feet, checking to see if everything is in place; his hands, his legs, his torso, his dick… it’s all there. He sighs with relief and the other man smiles at his reaction._

_“You look fine, I promise. Nothing is missing”, he teases._

_“Who are you?” are Dean’s first words, when the initial shock has passed._

_“You don’t recognize me”, the man says and his face falls. It’s not a question and it looks like they’ve been here and have had this conversation a thousand times._  
_“It’s me… Cas”, he says and he can see Dean’s skepticism, when he does._

_“No… you can’t be Cas. Cas is a little boy”, Dean argues and Cas smiles bitterly._

_“I’m Cas, when I’m older”, the blue eyed man says and waits for Dean’s next question that he knows is coming._

_“Where are we? How can this be? I just left you at your house and you’re only eight and a half”, Dean says, refusing to believe the man’s words._

_“This is a memory…” Cas says in a soft voice and Dean nearly doesn’t hear him._

_“What do you mean a memory? I’ve never been here before and especially with you. This can’t be a memory. What is this place?” Dean asks, looking around a little upset._

_“It’s a memory from one of our past lives. We’re in our pack’s lands”, the blue eyed man explains, but knows that Dean won’t be convinced this easily._

_“What past lives? Have you taken drugs or something? Are you crazy? You can’t possibly expect me to believe that. If this is a memory then how are we having this conversation? Shouldn’t we just let the memory unfold? That’s not how memories work in my experience”, Dean says, while he keeps looking around._

_“The scenery is a memory, these lands. I like to revisit our past moments together, when I’m dreaming”, Cas says casually._

_“When you’re dreaming? Am I dreaming as well?”_

_“Yes, you are and so is the boy. This is the only way I can talk to you. Inside a dream. But this is all real; I mean the conversation you and I are having.”_

_“When you say boy, you mean Cas. The eight year old Cas”, Dean wants to clarify._

_“Yes, I mean the mini me”, Cas says and smiles._

_“So, if I haven’t gone completely insane and this is all a product of my brain, you are saying that you are aware of who little Cas is and who I am.”_

_“Yes. I know everything about Cas and you and all the others, ‘cause I was there. I can prove it to you”, Cas begins to say and sighs before he continues._  
_“My day started in bed with you, because yesterday was the last day of my heat and you were helping me through it. Then Charlie came and I went to play with my friends and then I came home and that Bartholomew guy was there waiting for me, because he wants to be my mate, but I kept ignoring him and instead I kept showing him who my true mate really is. Just before you left, I kissed you on the lips and you froze”, Cas says like it’s the most amusing thing in the world._

_“Everything you just said, I already knew, so it’s not really proof. Tell me something that I can’t possibly know, if you want me to believe you.”_

_Cas smiles at him and thinks for a second, before his smile gets bigger and he speaks._  
_“When we were having dinner tonight, Bartholomew was sitting next to me and he tried to touch my thigh, so I spilled my soup all over him and he started screaming. You can ask anyone you want tomorrow, who was at dinner. They will confirm it. You can even ask mini me” Cas says, while Dean stares at him._

_“He touched you?” Dean looks furious._

_“It looks like you believe me”, Cas says and laughs, while Dean is looking at him through narrowed eyes and tries to calm down his anger._

_“So, how does this work exactly? If what you’re saying is true and I’m dreaming, am I going to remember any of this tomorrow, so I can ask and confirm it?”_

_“I think so. It always worked the previous times”, Cas confirms._

_“What previous times?”_

_“This is not the first time this has happened. We’ve been here more times than I can count. Some of the events of the day must have triggered something in you and you finally opened up to me and now we can visit each other in our dreams. It was you who entered my dream this time and not the other way around; I am the one who chose this particular moment from our past to relive and I only realized it wasn’t the old you, when you got confused. If I had to take a guess, I’d say that you’re here, because you’re looking for answers. It always goes like that. You are always the one who forgets me and I have to find you and remind you of our past”, Cas says and Dean can see the sadness in his eyes when he says that, before Cas snaps out of it and goes to sit cross-legged at the edge of the rock, near the cliff. Dean follows him and does the same, sitting next to him._

_“So, if you’re talking to me and I’m talking to you, does that mean that little Cas is aware of this conversation and he’s going to remember this tomorrow as well?” Dean asks, as they’re both looking at the moon._

_“No, mini me has his own mind for now and can’t communicate like we can. He doesn’t know any of this”, Cas says like it’s something normal and natural._

_“What do you mean by that?” Dean asks, while staring at him._

_“I am his soul. His undying spirit. He is my reincarnation. And you are my soulmate’s reincarnation. I worked really hard this time to find you. This is the first time you are born outside of the pack and that you’re that much older than me. But surprisingly we always end up in these same bodies. So, now you know how gorgeous I get when I grow older”, Cas teases and nudges Dean’s shoulder with his own. It’s obvious that Dean gets uncomfortable by his comment and his move, so he tries to ask something different and not let the talk go there._

_“So, how come I get to remember this when I wake up tomorrow? Why am I different from eight year old Cas? Why can’t he? How come I get to see all this, but have no memories of this place, while you know everything about it?”_

_“You do have your memories, you just have to dig a little deeper to bring them to the surface. It takes practice. Earlier, when we were having that conversation from our past, it was you all along. You remembered the things you were supposed to say to me and the things you were supposed to do, until the memory got blurry for you and you didn’t know how to continue and that’s when I realized that you weren’t the Dean from my memory, but you were the real deal.”_

_“Yes, but you’re not really answering my question; Why are you here and not little Cas and why am I here and not the old Dean? How can I be here with you?” Dean pushes._

_“You and Cas are not new and different people. You are just an expansion of ourselves. You are the evolution of our spirits. Every time we are born, we get blessed with new personalities, new characteristics… different attitude. The people around us, our new and different environments, the people who raise us, all these things form our new personalities and the way we act. DNA also plays an important role. Some of the things that make us who we are are inherited. When we finally connect, we become whole again and our personality grows and adds these new traits. We become one; the old and the new. Cas is still too young to be completely connected with me and have access to all this, but you have reached your adulthood and the past you and the new you have already become one, even if you don’t realize it. The reason you don’t remember things like I do is because the past you hasn’t had the practice I’ve been having. But if you dig deep enough, it will come to you. You’ve always had trouble remembering, even when you were a wolf and you were practicing”, Cas says and his eyes seem unfocused for a moment, like he’s remembering something and it plays out right in front of him._

_“Okay… And how exactly have you been practicing, if little Cas has no idea? Is he ever going to remember any of this?”_

_Cas laughs like Dean just said the funniest thing he has ever heard, before he stares at his green eyes and he answers._  
_“I’ve been using the wolf and not the boy. I can only have access to him and he can have access to me and his memories, when he comes of age and has the official ceremony to celebrate his adulthood. I’m what you and mini me call Jimmy. The reason your old self wasn’t practicing is because he didn’t have anyone, like the wolf for example, to live through and to work on his memory, because you’re a human. He wasn’t allowed to use you, not until you could become one again.”_

_“So, it’s practice the thing that will help me remember? Can I try and do it when I’m awake?” Dean asks._

_“Yes, you can try and concentrate to remember, when you’re awake, but even through practice, you won’t be able to get all of your memories back. Same goes for me. I don’t remember everything and I’ve had four years of practice since the day Cas first shifted into a wolf. The only way for us to remember is to get mated officially in front of the elders. The wolves have powerful ceremonies and traditions. It’s not just a show; each ceremony has a special meaning. The mating ceremony helps soulmates remember each other; it gives them their memories back. It grounds the mind of the spirit to the mind of the vessel and then the spirits of the soulmates connect. When that happens all of our memories together come back”, Cas says like this thing is the simplest thing and it’s something that is bound to happen again._

_“I know that you think that you and I are meant to be, but things are different this time. I’m not a wolf like you. I’ve been buying time so that I can help Cas and not get killed in the process, but this union you’re talking about will never happen. I’m not the right person for Cas; I’m just a man and I will never allow them to turn me into a freaking wolf for this to happen. I will die first.”_

_Cas smiles bitterly at Dean’s words and then he talks._  
_“And we come to the reason of your tonight’s visit in my dream. You got scared, when mini me talked about turning you. However hard you might deny this, it’s going to happen. You are the only one for him, there’s no other. There can be no other”, he insists, while raising his voice._

 _Dean can’t help but get angry at him. He doesn’t take it well when people tell him what he should be doing and in this case he doesn’t like that this man before him thinks that he has everything figured out about a little boy. Little Cas is the only one who should be making these choices and not this man._  
_“Is that so? You mentioned earlier that I never remember you and that you always have to come find me and remind me of our past together; have you ever considered why that is? Why you always have to convince me that we’re meant to be? It’s because you’re forcing this on me. Maybe all my previous selves didn’t want this either and they wanted to forget, but you are holding so tightly on this, on us, that you never let them. The way I see it, you’ve done nothing but torture Cas his whole life. You are the wolf that Cas is terrified of, the one that’s not letting him live the way he wants to live. The one who took over his body and took him away from his family and brought him to me. You’re the reason both of us almost got killed and because of you I am still in danger and I’m not allowed to see my family. Does any of this sound right to you? You like being in control and when Cas shifts, you don’t want to give him back the reins. That’s the reason he has trouble turning. He is a little boy and you’re brainwashing him into thinking that he has to be with me and that he has to crave a knot that I don’t even have, when all he cares about is play games with his friends. You are fucking tormenting him”, Dean screams angrily, as he gets up._

 _“You have no idea what you’re talking about and how wrong you are. How dare you say these things to me? How dare you say this for all my past loves, that I was forcing myself on them? That they didn’t want me?” Cas yells at him, as he gets up as well. Tears are running freely down his cheeks and he tries to wipe them away and look strong and intimidating, but he fails miserably and he keeps falling apart in front of Dean._  
_“You are an even bigger asshole now that you are a human”, he says between sniffles._  
_“All I ever did was protect him. His father, Chuck, was planning to hand him over to a sick fuck, so that he could purchase more lands for the pack. Cas thinks that we left because his father got mad at him, but the real reason is that I heard a conversation he was having on the phone that day that Cas couldn’t comprehend at the time and I took him away to protect him before it was too late. I wasn’t even looking for you, when I found you. I admit that I’ve been waiting for you ever since I remembered about you, but I never tried to make him search for you. It’s always fate that brings us together. I’ve never tried to force this relationship on you. I just knew that you were the only one who could protect him, so I stayed in the wolf form and with you for as long as I could, when I found you”, Cas says and he can’t stop crying, so he turns his back to Dean and looks away, feeling ashamed._

_Dean looks at him and feels like a real A-hole now. Cas was right to call him that. He gets close to him and tries to comfort him by giving small pats on his shoulder that turn into soft caresses, but Cas still ignores him, looking away._

_“Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m a dick. I didn’t… I didn’t mean that”, he says and then Cas turns and hugs him tightly, burying his face in his neck, as strong sobs escape his lips. Dean’s arms come around him, circling him protectively and only then does he remember how naked they both are._  
_“Maybe… maybe we should sit down for a moment”, he says with embarrassment and Cas takes a step back to look at him and nods. Then they both sit down again next to each other and they don’t talk for a while._

_“What will happen to you and Cas, if the two of us don’t mate and we don’t have the ceremony?” Dean asks, breaking the silence._

_Cas looks at him with sad eyes._  
_“I will be stuck here forever, reliving the past, unable to live my life and living only through the wolf and he will probably be unhappy, because he won’t be able to find a mate. We will never be whole. He will always feel like there’s a piece missing, because he won’t have you or me. He will never be in touch with his animal side or ever get his memories back and I will have to wait for my next reincarnation to find the next you and mate with you. I know it seems silly, but wolves are not like people. We only get to have one mate. If you stay human, you will probably have many pointless relationships, but you will never find true love. But you will be much better than Cas and me. If you leave him, Cas will be miserable. And I’m not saying this to force you to do something you don’t want like you say. I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m just stating the facts.”_

 _Dean doesn’t know what to say to this, so he decides to change the subject._  
_“So, what is this memory of ours that we’re reliving?” he asks and he manages to actually put a smile on Cas’ beautiful face._

_“Well, I don’t know if the word reliving is the right one; because if I remember correctly the memory ends with us having passionate sex and getting pregnant to our fifth and sixth pup and not with me crying my eyes out, because you’re an asshole”, he says and Dean stares at him, feeling guilty. Well that wasn’t the answer he was expecting to hear._

_Cas ignores the way Dean is staring at him and he continues with his story, drowning in his memories._  
_“You were gone for six weeks, chasing away some rogue wolves that had attacked our land and killed three of our people, along with your brother Henry, your sister Sam and a few of the pack’s soldiers. I thought you were dead. We thought you were all dead, but then after six weeks of pure agony and desperation, you came back. You all came back. The moment you entered the pack’s land I smelled you and ran like the wind to find you. And as always, you were here waiting for me on our rock, where we first made love.”_

_“Sounds nice”, Dean says and smiles at him._

_“It was. That’s why I chose to relive it, but I wasn’t planning on having you here.”_

_“So, you said I had a sister named Sam? As in short for Samantha?” Dean asks._

_“Yeah, why do you ask?”_

_“I always knew Sam was a girl”, Dean murmurs, but Cas doesn’t hear him._  
_“I just… I have a brother named Sam. And I was wondering if it is just a coincidence. Does this reincarnation thing apply for everybody?”_

 _“No, just for soulmates. I remember your brother Sam. I met him when I was in my wolf form. He’s nice”, Cas says, remembering, and pauses for a while before he continues explaining again things to Dean._  
_“We’re never born in the same families. We always have different siblings, different parents. Everyone around us is always different. It’s just us that stay the same, unaltered, with the same features; which is I suppose weird, if you think about it”, Cas says and then brings his legs close to his torso, resting his chin on his knees. Dean can’t help but look at him like he is the most fascinating thing he’s ever seen._

_“So, how many times has this happened?” he asks, looking away at the moon again._

_“This would make it the fifth time. That’s a lot of years living together, considering, apart from now, that we are always born as werewolves and we live for about eight hundred years each time”, he says like it’s no big deal._

_“Oh my god! Are you kidding me? And you have memories that go all the way back?” Dean asks, suddenly feeling incredibly stupid for telling him all these things earlier about forcing himself on him, when they have shared so much together._

_“No, not really. I get only glimpses of our earlier shared lives, but I don’t have any clear memories. But I’m sure about the number by the things I do remember. I only have clear memories of our last two.”_

_“So how many kids did we have? You mentioned something about six pups earlier?” Dean asks._

_“I don’t really recall the number of the kids we had had in our earlier lives, but at the last two, we had twenty six the first time and twelve the second.”_

_“Wow, that’s… that’s a lot of kids, but I guess we had a lot of time to make them.”_

_“We could have had more, but each time I was only fertile for the first two hundred years, before I was then made barren by the pack’s elders; we did also use protection. We can’t have our numbers grow that much, because then humans would find out about us. There were cases where whole packs were eliminated by the humans. Now especially, with the weapons humans have, we wouldn’t stand a chance, so we stay hidden.”_

_“I’m surprised you still live this simple life. You could have done a lot more than the humans, since you live that long, but instead you’re always hiding and you don’t seem to want to be more than we are”, Dean says and Cas snorts._

_“For a second there I had forgotten you were one of them. A human. How peculiar… But still, to answer your question, we are superior in a lot of ways. We just don’t need to make weapons and other things to help ourselves. We have the power that the wolf gives us and we don’t care for more. We just let the humans think that they’re ruling the world and that they are unique. We don’t care about that stuff.”_

_“And yet you care about me. You want me to be with Cas, even though I was born a human. And you don’t want me just for him. You want me for yourself too. You said that when he gets back his memories it will be as if you’re living again through him.”_

_“I won’t be living through him. I will be him. I am him”, Cas says, looking intently at Dean, before he looks away again. A few minutes pass and neither of them says anything. Dean keeps glancing at him at times and it is obvious that Cas can feel the human’s eyes on his person, but he doesn’t react. He lets Dean watch him. Take his image in. Memorize his features for when he finally wakes up and all he will be able to see is his eight year old self. He secretly hopes that by letting him look at him now, here, being all adult and gorgeous, Dean might reconsider his opinion and actually fall in love with him again, even if he is so young in the real world. Towards the end, he can feel Dean thinking next to him, while he’s staring at him, without hiding it anymore. He lets Cas know he’s staring. He can’t help but be fascinated by him._

_“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you like me”, Cas says then out of the blue, turning his head to stare back at Dean._

_“What makes you say that?” Dean asks, as he feels his cheeks turning red. This is a dream; this shouldn’t be happening._

_“All the staring is kind of hard to ignore”, the blue eyed man answers with a smirk._

_“Maybe I’m just staring, because you’re weird”, Dean snaps back, but the truth is that he can’t help but imagine how his past lives with Cas might have been. How it would be like to have kids with him._

_“Well, there’s only one way to find out”, Cas says and he swiftly closes the gap between them, getting into Dean’s personal space._  
_“Do you still find me weird?” he asks, his lips mere inches away from Dean’s._

_“Very”, Dean answers, as his breath hitches. And then Cas dives in, but before Dean can feel the other man’s lips on his own, he’s falling from the bed and on his bad foot at that._

 

“FUCK!” he yells, a little from the pain and much more because of the dream. What the hell was that? And the things he was feeling towards the end? Was he really going to kiss Cas? All these questions keep running inside his head.

He’s looking for his nightstand and tries to turn on the bedside lamp. When he manages that, he catches his breath for a moment, still sitting on the floor, sweating like a pig and thinking about everything that he was just dreaming about. Could it be true or was it all his mind’s fiction?

“I need to find out soon”, he murmurs to himself.

 

~*~

**_  
_**

The next morning finds Dean feeling restless. When the clock on his nightstand shows seven, he decides to get up, even though he’s been awake all night, since he never went back to sleep after the dream, and he sits at the edge of the mattress. He buries his head in his hands, sighing heavily and then he stands up and goes to the bathroom to wash up. When he’s done and he has new clothes on, he walks slowly and careful of his hurt foot -but without taking his crutch- into the living room, only to find that guy Gadreel sitting at his kitchen table with a book in his hand.

“Where’s Benny?” is the first thing he says. He’s pretty sure that Benny is the one who was supposed to be sitting where Gadreel sits.

“Well, he had to go back to his family at some point and get some sleep, you know. You’re not his only concern. I’m replacing him for the day”, he says and goes back to reading what Dean recognizes is one of his books. When Gadreel notices Dean’s eyes on the book, he speaks again.  
“I hope you don’t mind; I was bored”, he says.

“No, it’s okay. Hope you enjoy. It’s a good book”, Dean replies and goes further inside the kitchen to make some coffee.

“So, how long have you been in here?” Dean asks, sitting too at the table with a cup of coffee in his hands.

“Since last night”, Gadreel answers, not taking his eyes off the book.

“Right… and you didn’t hear anything, did you?” Dean asks after a moment.

“Are you asking me if I heard your sorry ass falling off the bed?” Gadreel asks, while looking at him with an amused expression on his face.  
“Yeah, I did. But then I heard you getting up again, so, I thought I shouldn’t disturb you. You must have been having a hell of a dream too before that, because I could hear you tossing and turning like crazy. Was it a nightmare? What was it about? Scared much?” he asks and smirks.

“Nosey much?” Dean asks and glares at him, making him go back to his book, while he goes back to his coffee. And that’s when he hears a soft knock on the door.

“It’s open”, he says loudly and then a little Cas enters his cabin, looking at him with his soulful eyes that Dean realizes carry the wisdom of eons in them.

“Good morning, Dean”, the little boy says and smiles at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think of the plot! ;)


	10. Making A Claim

Dean is staring blankly at Cas, as the boy still stands by the door, looking at him. The human is not sure yet if he can act like nothing has changed, after everything that went down last night between him and the boy’s other half, but he smiles back at him nonetheless.

‘You have to make sure that it actually happened first, before you freak out’, he reminds himself and tries his best to look and act normal.

“Hey, Cas”, he finally says, acknowledging the boy, still with a smile on his face. Dean’s waiting for Cas to reply, but the boy falters and his eyes fall to the ground.  
“Is everything okay?” the human asks hesitatingly, as he gets up from his seat and goes to stand near Cas.

“Yeah… I just wanted to come and see you”, Cas says, still not looking at him.

“Okay? Well, don’t you want to come inside and sit with me then?” Dean asks and Cas looks up at him and nods after a moment.

“Come and sit with me on the couch”, Dean says, as he takes the boy’s hand, leading him towards the said couch.

When they sit down, next to each other, they fall into silence again. Gadreel glances at them a few times, but he doesn’t really pay any attention to them and mostly reads his book. A few minutes pass and Cas still hasn’t uttered a word, but instead keeps looking at his hands. Dean keeps glancing at him, waiting for him to say anything, but when he realizes that it’s not going to happen, he decides it is finally time to speak.

“So, what’s up? Shouldn’t you be playing with your friends? It’s a lovely day outside”, he says and tousles the boy’s hair, expecting to get a smile in response, like it usually happens, but the boy remains serious and that alarms Dean.

“I don’t wanna… I feel kinda tired”, the boy answers, while he keeps staring at his hands. Dean gives him a concerned look. He’s never seen Cas acting like this and he’s curious about it, but he doesn’t ask, because he doesn’t want to push the boy. Cas will tell him, when he feels ready.

“That’s cool. You can hang here, if you want. Wanna watch cartoons?” he asks instead and Cas seems interested for the first time, when he looks at Dean and nods.  
“Okay, then”, Dean says and takes the remote from the coffee table, turning the TV on and then finding some cartoons.

Half an hour later, Cas doesn’t seem able to keep his eyes open anymore and he’s falling asleep on Dean’s side. When Dean notices that, he lets the boy lay his head on his legs and he brushes his hair off his forehead with his hand. Cas sighs deeply and Dean assumes that he does it in his sleep, but then the boy talks.

“I missed you last night” the boy says and sighs again. Dean stares at him, as he continues caressing the boy’s hair.

“Why, did something happen? Is there something you’re not telling me, Cas?” he asks and Cas sits back up and quickly throws himself in his arms, sitting on his lap and hiding his face from the human, while Dean hugs him protectively.

“What’s the matter, little man? What’s wrong?” Dean asks, as the boy starts crying on his neck. The human tries to calm him down by caressing his back softly.  
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here. You’re okay”, he keeps saying reassuringly.  
“Why are you so sad?”

“Daddy yelled at me last night”, Cas cries and buries his face further into the crook of Dean’s neck. The human just holds him and tries to calm him down.

“Why did your dad yell at you?” he asks after a moment.

“Because of something I did at dinner”, Cas sniffles, holding onto Dean tightly.

“Shh… It’s okay; calm down. What did you do?” Dean asks softly, as he continues stroking the boy’s back. Gadreel is still sitting at the table, but Dean feels like the werewolf’s eyes are trained on them.

“I just spilled some soup on that guy that came yesterday, but it wasn’t my fault. He tried to touch my leg. Only my Alpha can touch my leg like that”, Cas protests and Dean freezes once more and he stops stroking the boy’s back. So, it was all true. It wasn’t just a dream after all.  
“Are you mad at me?” Cas asks in a soft frightened voice, when he feels the change in Dean’s behavior. That snaps Dean out of his trance.

“What? Why would I ever be mad at you? You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m glad that you protected yourself like that, Cas. And I need you to promise me that you always will. No one has the right to treat you like that, if you don’t want them to. Even me. Only you have the right to decide who can touch you like that and who can’t. I’m so proud of you for stopping him. It was a good thing that I wasn’t at that dinner, because I would have ripped that guy’s head off”, the human says and then kisses Cas’ forehead, making him smile for the first time in a while.

“I will always want you to touch me”, the boy says after a moment, when he settles back onto Dean’s chest.  
“But I promise.”

“Good boy”, Dean says and kisses his hair.  
“Is that why you were so sad? Because your dad yelled at you? I’m gonna have a word with him later.”

Cas seems to be hesitating to answer.  
“Cas? Tell me; what’s wrong?”

“I… it’s nothing. It’s just… my wolf was trying to come to the surface last night. It woke me up in the middle of the night and he started fighting me. I got scared and then, when he finally stopped after a while, I couldn’t sleep. I thought that he would try and take over in my sleep.”

“Is that why you’re so tired?” Dean asks and starts rubbing soothing circles again on the boy’s back.

“Yeah…” Cas admits tiredly, without lifting his head from where it lies on Dean’s chest and then closes his eyes momentarily.

Dean, sensing the boy’s exhaustion, lets him get comfortable on him.  
“You can sleep now, if you want. I’ll watch over you. I will protect you. I won’t let him take over. Okay?” he asks and kisses Cas’ hair.

“Okay”, Cas says softly, already falling asleep.

“Sleep, my angel”, Dean murmurs and then Cas is out cold.

The moment Dean is certain that Cas is asleep, he turns to Gadreel.  
“Could you please grab a blanket from the room? I don’t want him to get cold and I don’t wanna wake him by getting up. He needs to sleep. He’s exhausted.”

“Yeah, sure; I can do that”, Gadreel says and then goes into Dean’s bedroom to retrieve a blanket. When he comes back, he drapes it over them both and then sits in the armchair close to the couch and looks at them.

“You’re good with him. I never thought I’d say that, but you surprise me in a pleasant way. Most humans are dicks. You’re kind of a cool guy”, Gadreel says, making Dean snort.

“Why, you know a lot of humans? They probably would have a few things to say about the way you treat each other here, too, if they knew about you. You most certainly didn’t make a good impression on me”, Dean says in a low voice, afraid that he might wake Cas up.

“Look, I know it’s hard for you to understand our traditions, but we’re not humans. We live differently here and the sooner you make peace with that the better it will be for you. You need to stop treating us like savages at some point. We might not have fancy televisions to watch cartoons or whatever, but we care for our people and protect them at any cost. If you want to keep Cas, you might wanna step up your game.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dean asks, narrowing his eyes at Gadreel.

“There are a lot of people interested in that boy and his father is getting proposals for him daily. It’s not just Bartholomew that you should be worried about. There are a lot worse than him. I would know. I’m one of the Alpha’s guards and I spend a lot of time in his house. Chuck wants the pack to grow and join forces with another pack. I personally don’t want that to happen, ‘cause I think we can handle ourselves just fine; but if it does happen, I don’t think little Cas should pay the price. Cas likes you and he wants you to be his mate. So just fucking be his mate and stop treating him like a child. He’s a wolf, not a kid. He’s not human. Most of us mate around his age, it’s not a big deal. Michael’s wife was eleven when he mated her, my late brother Ezekiel’s wife was nine. It’s the way we do things here. If you don’t hurry up, mate him and knock him up, there are others who will”, Gadreel says emphatically.

“Are you mated?” Dean asks and Gadreel is taken aback by his question.

“No, I’m not”, he answers, confused by the change of subject.

“Then, excuse me, but I don’t think I need to take any advice about mating from someone who hasn’t done it either and is probably a lot older than I am. I think you should go back to your book and learn a thing or two about human civilization; you might be surprised by the things you learn”, Dean snaps back with anger and then turns his head away from Gadreel, refusing to continue this conversation. The only thing that’s calming him down right now is the sleeping form on his chest.

“I really hope I’m wrong and things turn out well for you guys, but I’m afraid that you don’t realize what you’re up against and that you will lose him, if you don’t change your ways. Sorry for saying anything”, Gadreel says, while getting up and then goes to stand outside the cabin, leaving Dean and Cas alone.

When he’s gone, Dean sighs deeply.  
“What am I going to do with you, little guy?” he whispers and then kisses the boy’s hair again, before he closes his eyes and falls asleep as well, with Cas in his arms.

__

~*~

  
_Dean wakes up to the sound of a crying baby. His mind is still blurry from sleeping, but as he sits up on his bed and looks around to see where the noise is coming from and what is happening, he immediately realizes what this is and where he is. He’s in one of Cas’ dreams again in a cabin he’s never seen before or at least doesn’t remember yet._

_Cas is nowhere in sight, so he decides to get up and go find him. He needs to have a talk with him right away, but the moment he climbs off the bed, he realizes that he’s naked again. He looks around and finds a pair of linen pants that are handmade and puts them on. The crying has already stopped, so he can’t really follow the sound anymore, but the cabin is small and it doesn’t take long for him to find Cas in the room next to the one he was in, standing over a wooden crib, that also looks handmade, holding a baby in his arms that Dean can’t see._

_“Shh… my angel. Mommy is here. It’s okay”, he hears Cas whispering to the baby, as he gently swings it in his arms._

_“Hey, Cas?” Dean says from where he’s standing at the doorway. Cas turns around to look at him, without stopping swinging the baby._

_“I’m sorry; did he wake you?” he says and then kisses the baby’s head. It’s a boy, around one and a half years old with blonde hair. Dean can’t help but stare at it. That’s supposed to be his child. His boy from a previous life. It takes effort to take his eyes away from the boy and when he does, he notices Cas’ very pregnant belly under his robe._

_“I… It’s me. Human Dean”, he clarifies and Cas’ expression immediately changes._

_“Oh… I didn’t expect to see you so soon”, the blue eyed man says and turns to look out of the cabin’s window and away from Dean._

_“I need to talk to you… about last night”, Dean starts to say, approaching him._

_“Was it last night? What is it that you want to talk to me about?” he asks, holding the baby closer to his body, without looking at Dean._

_“I’m sure you know that Cas and I had a talk this morning…”_

_“I didn’t know that. I pulled myself back. I don’t know what he was doing, while I was away. Did he confirm what I told you?” Cas asks after he cuts him off._

_“Oh… yes, he did. He told me what happened at dinner.”_

_“So, you believe me…”_

_“I do. But that’s not what I want to talk to you about. He told me what happened after he woke up from our dream. Of course he has no idea of what was happening in the dream, but I figured that that’s when he was talking about”, Dean explains. Cas looks at him unfazed._

_“And? What about it?” he asks and looks at the baby in his arms._

_“He told me that you were trying to take over his body. You were trying to make him turn. Why would you do that, after everything we talked about?” Dean demands to know, as he gets closer._

_“I was emotional after the dream. It ended abruptly and I couldn’t take it. I’m sorry… it won’t happen again”, Cas says and looks away again._

_Dean can basically feel the sadness radiating off of Cas’ body. He sighs and then reaches him, touching his shoulders from behind._  
_“Cas? I’m sorry… talk to me”, he says, while bringing him closer and then he lets his lips rest on Cas’ hair, inhaling his scent deeply._

_“I’ve missed you. I can’t take it anymore”, Cas says and lets his weight fall on Dean, as he leans back on the man’s body. Dean just holds him and lets him do as he pleases._

_“I’m so sorry, Cas. I’m being a dick again without meaning to do it. It’s just… all of this is so new for me and it’s hard. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing or saying. I care about him, little Cas I mean, and I hate seeing him miserable. But I don’t want to see you sad either”, the human says and for the first time kisses Cas’ hair to comfort him, like he was doing with little Cas. When he does that, Cas turns in his arms and looks at him._

_“Do you want to hold your son? He wants his daddy”, Cas says and hands Dean the baby, without waiting for a response._

_“Wow… I didn’t think that it was possible for me to hold him”, Dean mutters, as he stares at his boy’s face. The little one clings to him with everything he has._

_“Memory-you held him, so you can too…” Cas says and then brushes the boy’s blonde hair off his forehead. Dean is looking fascinated at the boy._

_“What’s his name?” he asks, never taking his eyes off of him._

_“Nicklaus”, Cas replies and keeps caressing the boy’s hair._

_“He’s beautiful”, Dean says and pauses._  
_“…And you’re pregnant”, he adds after a moment. It’s not a question. Cas smiles at him._

_“Yeah, I like reliving memories where I’m with my kids or pregnant, when I’m upset and I want to calm down.”_

_“Our last dream together upset you”, Dean concludes._

_“Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a dream like that. It affected me, but you don’t have to worry about mini me. I won’t do again what I did last time. I will let him live his life as he pleases”, Cas says and looks down at their baby with sad eyes._

_“I don’t want you to feel lonely and unhappy.”_

_“There’s not really a way around it”, Cas mutters and tears up._

_“Yes, there is. I can come here as often as you want and I can help Cas learn how to turn at will and give you time through the wolf. You’re his animal side and he needs you”, Dean tells him and then wipes away Cas’ tears with his thumb. Cas looks up at him with hopeful eyes._

_“You’re willing to do that? For me? You don’t even remember me yet.”_

_“I don’t need to remember to know how happy I was with you. It’s pretty obvious”, Dean says and smiles at him before they both hear a knock on the door._

_“Is someone supposed to come in our memory?” Dean asks confused._

_“Are we sleeping together in the real world?”_

_“Yeah, in my cabin.”_

_“I think there’s someone banging on your door. We’re waking up”, Cas says and before he has a chance to say anything else, Dean kisses him on the lips._

_“I had to know what that feels like, before it was too late and the dream ended again”, Dean says and then smiles at Cas’ expression._  
_“See you around, Cas”, he says upon hearing an even louder knock on the door._

 

Dean is startled awake and finds Cas still sleeping on his chest. Carefully he gets ahold of the boy and gets up, before he lies him back on the couch, putting the couch’s pillow under his head and covering him with the blanket. The knocks return on the door and he curses inside for the ignorant fool, who’s gonna wake up Cas. When he finally gets to the door and opens it, he comes face to face with stupid Bartholomew.

“Where is he? Where is Cas?” Bartholomew asks, while glaring at Dean.

Dean closes the door behind him and then Gadreel gives him an apologetic look.  
“I’m sorry, Dean, I told him that he couldn’t get in, but he insisted.”

“That’s okay, Gadreel”, Dean says and then turns his attention back to Bartholomew.  
“Who wants to know? Did his father send you here?” Dean asks, glaring daggers at the alpha.

“No, I’m the one who wants to know. His freaking mate wants to know where his freaking omega is”, Bartholomew answers and gets in Dean’s personal space, ready to start a fight. Gadreel seems to forget his apologetic expression and looks at both of them like he’s enjoying this fight -maybe a little too much for Dean’s liking- and doesn’t make a move to separate them.

“Believe me, no mate of yours is anywhere inside my house. The only one in my house is my mate and we were sleeping right before you started knocking on my door like an idiot”, Dean snaps back and shoves him away from his body.

“Cas is not your mate and he never will be. The Alpha would never allow that. He is promised to me. You haven’t claimed him to call him your mate. You have no right”, Bartholomew says angrily.

“Who says I haven’t claimed him?” Dean retorts.

“What? What are you talking about? Do you know what claiming even means?” Bartholomew yells, looking scandalized by the mere insinuation that the human has claimed his omega.

“Yeah, I do. It’s when my dick goes up his ass, is it not? I don’t really have wolfish teeth to bite him though. So, I think my dick should be enough of a claim. How did you think I got him through his heat? Did you really believe what they told you?”

“You did what?” Bartholomew screams.

“You heard me asshole. I’ve already claimed him. Now get the hell off my porch and leave Cas the hell alone.”

“You’re dead, human” is the last thing Bartholomew says, as his face and eyes turn red with fury. Before Dean knows what’s happening, the man before him is shifting into a wolf, shredding all of his clothes in the process. Once he has turned completely, he glares at Dean with red eyes and starts growling, showing off his sharp set of teeth. Dean gives a terrified look to Gadreel, who still stands idly a few feet away, but his eyes turn back to the wolf, when he feels his back hitting the front door of his cabin, as he takes a step backwards and away from the brown wolf in front of him, who looks like he wants to tear him into pieces; which is probably what is going to happen.

‘Well, that was a good idea’, is the last thing Dean thinks, as he stares into the wolf’s eyes and then the wolf leaps forward.


	11. Dealing With The Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my wonderful readers!  
> I'm back with a new chapter that takes us further into the story's plot! I've struggled with this, because I wasn't sure how to connect the events of the chapter and I still don't know if I did a good job or not. I will probably edit it later, 'cause I'm not really happy with it, but I figured you would like to read what happens next and I didn't want to delay that.  
> I want to thank all of you who have left kudos to this story or who have subscribed or who have simply read it. To those who have taken the time to also write a comment, I want to say that it means the world to me to read what you guys think of my story and it's what keeps me going and makes me want to write more. I want to assure you that I have read each and every one of the comments you have posted, even though I haven't replied yet to those of the last couple of chapters. I'll get to it!  
> So, love you all, but let's go back to the story now! Enjoy!!!

It’s still early in the morning and there aren’t many people moving around in the camp. They’re surely awake by now, but most of them are still inside their cabins and it is mostly quiet when the fight between Bartholomew and Dean begins. Werewolves are definitely hot blooded and aggressive species, but they don’t really tend to fight with other members of their own pack and they always show their aggressive side to outsiders and people who try and threaten their pack. So, of course, when the yelling starts, many of them start getting out of their homes curious to see what’s happening and most of them get to see Bartholomew turning into a wolf and then getting ready to attack Dean.

None of them makes a move to do something about it and stop it, but instead everyone is glued to their spots waiting for the fight to begin. Well, what fight? They’re waiting for Dean to get killed. It’s obvious who is going to win this. There is no comparison between a wolf and a human and it’s not like they care much anyway. Dean isn’t really a part of their community. Most of them despise him and wouldn’t even blink, if they watched him die. And it is a certain fact for them that he is about to die and it is not just for them, but for Dean also.

Dean looks into the wolf’s angry red eyes before he shuts his completely, waiting for his inevitable end. He braces himself on the door and hears the wolf leaping towards him while he’s growling, knowing very well that this is the sound of his forthcoming death. He’s waiting for the crash to happen and the pain to come, but it never does. The moment passes and Dean opens his eyes confused, only to see two wolves fighting in the dirt in front of his porch.

‘Gadreel’, Dean realizes. Gadreel has shifted at lightning speed to stop the attack. Dean never thought that Gadreel would actually ever protect him, if the situation arose, but now, there is Gadreel fighting with another werewolf to protect his human ass. And yes, maybe he was placed as his guard to protect the pack members from him and protect him from them, but come on; Dean never thought that Gadreel would ever give a fuck to actually do it. Maybe if it was Benny, Dean would think that the werewolf would try to protect him and not because he likes him and they’re friends or anything, but just because he made a pact with Charlie. But Gadreel? That is definitely a pleasant surprise for Dean.

The human hasn’t moved an inch and keeps watching as the two wolves keep rolling on the dirt in front of him, fighting like wild animals. He’s not sure that he can make out which one is which, but they’re definitely both huge and strong and it isn’t clear who’s going to win this. Like everybody else, who is watching, he is engrossed in the fight, but then something brings him out of his trance. He sees Michael running full speed towards them from Chuck’s house and then like both the others, shifting into his wolf form in an instant, while he’s in mid-air, and then joining the fight in an attempt to separate them. Gabriel isn’t far behind. When both Bartholomew and Gadreel are restrained, Michael, who looks more intimidating than all the others in his black fur, seems to be giving everyone an order and not much later they all return to their human forms.

“What the hell happened? Why are you two fighting?” he yells, looking at both Bartholomew and Gadreel, waiting for an explanation. None of them replies. Instead they keep glaring at each other, looking totally disheveled and a little bloody now that they’re back to their human forms; their very naked human forms to be exact that none of them seems to be paying any attention to, except Dean, who looks at them uncomfortably.  
“Gadreel?” Gabriel asks then, since Gadreel is the one who is a member of their pack.

“It’s my fault”, Dean suddenly says from where he’s standing on the porch.  
“He was trying to protect me”, he adds, as all of them turn to look at him. Michael seems to be noticing him for the first time. Gabriel doesn’t look so surprised to see Dean or hear his explanation.

“I’m gonna kill you”, Bartholomew growls and tries to get to Dean and attack him again, but Gabriel holds him back.

“What the hell happened?” asks Michael irritated, looking at Dean.  
“What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything. Your friend over there is completely nuts”, Dean snaps back and glares at Bartholomew, who growls again in return.

“Care to explain?” Michael asks, losing his patience.

“I know what happened. This is about Cas being at your cabin, isn’t it?” Gabriel interferes.

“What? When did Cas leave the house?” Michael asks surprised to be hearing this.

“Earlier this morning. He asked me for my permission and I gave it to him. I knew Gadreel was here and I watched our brother until I saw him entering Dean’s cabin. I don’t understand what the big deal is”, Gabriel replies.

“He said he fucking mated with my omega. That’s what the big deal is. Have you all been lying to me? You let him fuck my omega and then pass him on to me as pure and untouched? I knew you didn’t like me from the first day I came here, but this is a huge insult towards me and my pack”, Bartholomew yells at both Michael and Gabriel.

“What is he talking about?” Michael turns to Dean.

“The truth. Me and Cas… we completed the bond. It’s done”, Dean answers. Michael looks at him without giving away any of his thoughts, but Gabriel’s face shows that he knows that he’s bullshiting them.

“When?” Michael asks then.

“During his heat…” Dean tells him.  
“We were just waiting for the right moment to tell you.”

“I’m out of here. My pack was right when they said not to trust you. We should have never supported you when you took over Crowley’s pack and lands. You are all manipulative bastards and you’re working with the humans. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You will pay for the way you treated me”, Bartholomew says, giving Dean one last glare and then heading back to Chuck’s house.

When he’s gone, Michael turns his feral gaze back to Dean.  
“Get inside. I’ll be back in a moment. We need to talk”, he demands and then both he and Gabriel follow Bartholomew back to their house.

 

~*~

_**  
**_

Dean is sitting stiffly at the kitchen table, waiting for Michael and possibly Gabriel to return, when the door suddenly opens and he sees Benny.

“Hey, man. What the hell happened? Gabriel told me to come and I just saw Gadreel heading to Charlie’s cabin all bloody. Are you okay?” the werewolf says, looking at Dean with concern.

“I’m fine. Nothing happened to me. I had a fight with Bartholomew and Gadreel protected me, when he tried to attack me”, Dean replies and then buries his face in his hands.

Benny sits opposite him at the table.  
“Why were you fighting?” he asks.

“He came looking for Cas and I didn’t want to let him take him, so I told him Cas and I are already mated and he had no right.”

“Wow… you… You’re in big trouble, brother. How could you tell him that? What do you think is going to happen when Alpha finds out?”

“I don’t care. I’m sick and tired of this game.”

“Where is Castiel now?”

“In the bedroom, sleeping”, Dean answers and sighs. It is a miracle that Cas never woke up during the fight or when Dean came back inside and moved him to the bedroom to sleep. He wasn’t kidding when he said he was tired.

“And now what?”

“I don’t know. I’m waiting for Michael to come and kick my ass. I’m afraid that he’s gonna take Cas away from me and not let me see him again.”

“He wouldn’t do that. Especially if he thinks that you mated the boy.”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure they believed me, but they sure seemed mad at me.”

“Relax, brother. It’s going to be okay”, Benny says and smiles reassuringly at Dean.

“Thanks, Benny”, Dean tells him in return, but before they have a chance to say anything more, Michael barges into the cabin, fully clothed this time and looking furious.

“Dean, what the hell? Do you have a death wish or something?” Michael yells at the human, but then he notices Benny and stops.  
“Benny, please go take a walk. I need to talk to Dean alone.”

“Yes, sir”, Benny answers and gives one last comforting look at Dean and then leaves the cabin.

“What were you thinking telling Bartholomew that?” Michael asks, when he hears the werewolf walking away from the cabin.

“It wasn’t true. He just pissed me off. I don’t want him here and I don’t want him anywhere near Cas”, Dean retorts, looking angrily at Michael.

“I know it wasn’t true, you idiot. You don’t think I saw how you changed ten different colors, when Cas kissed you yesterday? Call me naïve, but I don’t think that is how someone reacts, when they have already had sex with their mate. And I happen to know that you were being watched at all times during Cas’ heat. The problem is that Bartholomew believes it and now he wants to get even by hurting our whole pack. He thinks we were in on this and he feels humiliated. He wants revenge on all of us.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that he was going to react so badly. I can talk to him, if you want… tell him the truth.”

“No, I don’t want that. It’s too late and I don’t think that he would believe you anyway. He’d think that I made you say that to stop him from doing anything against our pack. And with the way he’s acting, I don’t trust him with my brother. I never did. We need to stick to the story and see what happens”, Michael says frustrated and sits on the chair that was occupied by Benny a few minutes ago.

“What about the other members of the pack? Are we going to tell them the truth, when Bartholomew leaves?” Dean asks.

“No. We can’t trust them with this. Everyone must think that you and Cas are mated and especially my father. This is the only way I can think of to stop him from looking for other mates for Cas or from giving him back to Bartholomew. Only you, Cas, me and Gabriel can know the truth.”

“I’m afraid Benny and Gadreel already know the truth. Charlie too.”

“That’s okay. They are trustworthy. I will talk to them”, Michael says and then buries his face in his hands.

“What about your father? Isn’t he going to be furious about Cas and me?” Dean asks and Michael looks at him again.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep him from decapitating you. He wouldn’t try to take Cas’ mate by force. If you were truly mated, something like this could kill Cas at this tender age. He loves my brother too much to do something so cruel.”

“Good to know”, Dean murmurs and then pauses.  
“Hey can I ask you a question?” he asks then.

“Ask away…”

“What was Bartholomew talking about, when he mentioned some other dude’s pack or something? Are you having a fight with another pack?”

“He was talking about Crowley’s pack. His men were the ones who tried to kidnap Cas and came into your apartment that night, before we showed up. We have captured him in his land and we have put men of our own guarding him and looking over the place. Father wants to place Gabriel in Crowley’s position to act as an ambassador of sorts and then unite the two packs under His leadership. Until now, we had the other packs’ support, when we told them that we would be taking over Crowley’s lands, because of what they did to us, but I’m afraid that with what happened with Bartholomew things are going to change and other packs might try to get those lands for their own packs. We could be getting into a big fight.”

“Why? Is that Bartholomew guy so important that he can affect his pack’s opinion?”

“He is the eldest son of one of our neighboring pack’s Alpha. So, as you can understand, he is very important. My Father wouldn’t pick just any commoner for Cas; He’s too vain for that. He picked someone royal, because He hoped that one day Cas would be the omega of that pack’s first Alpha; after Bartholomew’s father would die. And, of course, He wants to have them on his side now that he’s trying to expand his leadership. He has big plans for our pack’s future and He’s already trying to expand our pack lands by taking over Crowley’s pack and also giving Gabriel a good position there. He wants to make the strongest and largest pack. That is His dream. No more fights. He wants all werewolves to be united and stand their grounds against the humans”, Michael finishes and Dean can see that the werewolf isn’t so happy with the situation.

“And what do you think about that?” the human asks. It’s the first time that Michael opens up to him and tells him stuff, so he wants to take advantage of that.

“I just want things to go back to the way they were. I don’t care about getting more lands. I just want to kill Crowley and that piece of shit we have in our basement and be done with this. I just want those who tried to hurt Cas pay and then I’ll be happy to go back to our pack’s matters again”, Michael answers truthfully.

“Who is in your basement?” Dean asks confused.

“One of the men that attacked you in your apartment; Lucifer. We have him in chains since that night. We’re just trying to get information out of him about Crowley, his pack and their plans, but he’s a hard one to crack. Neither he nor Crowley have said anything. I just want to know why they tried to take Cas and what they were planning to do with him.”

“What about the others that came that night?” Dean asks, remembering the horrible things that had happened to him.

“We killed them. Only Lucifer lives. He’s the one who killed Gadreel’s twin brother, Ezekiel. Gadreel hasn’t been the same since then. That fight and the loss of his brother have changed him.”

“I’m sorry to hear that”, Dean says, while looking down at the table.  
“Can I ask you one more thing?” he asks then and Michael nods.  
“Do you think it would be possible for me to see him and talk to him?”

“Who do you want to see?” Michael asks confused.

“That Lucifer guy. I want to help you guys with him. I want to try and make him talk. I need to know what he has to say, because I don’t want anything like this ever happening again to Cas.”

“I’ll make arrangements as soon as the thing with Bartholomew blows over and I’ve talked to my Father”, Michael says and gets up.

“Thank you”, Dean says in return.

“Make sure you take care of Cas. I need to go home and talk to my Father.”

“Okay”, Dean agrees and then Michael is gone.

 

~*~

_…TWO WEEKS LATER…_

  
_“Daddy, daddy”, Dean hears a soft childish voice calling. He looks around and he finds himself in an open field with grass and flowers all over, before his eyes land on a little blonde boy, running towards him, that looks to be about two and a half or three years old. When the boy reaches him, Dean picks him up without thinking about it and the boy hugs him tightly, curling into him, while Dean’s arms close protectively around him._

_“Hey, buddy”, Dean says, having no control over his words._

_“You is late, daddy. Where was you, daddy?” the boy says, as his soft lips pout._

_“Sorry, Nicky. I didn’t think the meeting would last that long.”_

_“You promised you takes me for my first run in the woods, daddy”, the boy informs him, while he keeps pouting._

_“Okay, we can do that now”, Dean says and kisses the boy’s blonde curls._

_“But mommy says I can’t goes, when it’s dark. There is no sun anymore, daddy.”_

_“I know, but you have your daddy with you and I will never let anything happen to you. Mommy says you can’t go, if it’s dark, only when you are by yourself. You trust me, don’t you, Nicky? You know that I will always keep you safe, right?” Dean asks, while watching the boy carefully. Blue eyes stare back at him adoringly._

_“Of course, daddy. I love you the most and I know you keeps me safe”, the boy answers._

_“Then let’s see that wolf, shall we?” Dean says as he puts his son down and they both start removing their clothes. It doesn’t take long for them to take off everything and when they’re done, the boy shifts first into a beautiful small light beige wolf that looks almost white and runs towards the forest that rests before them. Dean smiles at his son’s eagerness and then follows his example and turns._

 

Dean startles awake from the dream. This is the first time he dreams of something from his past life on his own, without entering one of Cas’ dreams and without seeing him in it, but interacting with other people instead.

It’s the middle of the night, and like it usually happens nowadays, he wakes up on the living room’s couch and turns off the television. Every night Dean lies down on the couch, telling Cas that he wants to watch some TV before he goes to bed and sends the boy to sleep inside his bedroom. Dean never makes it to the bedroom though and stays in the living room, while Cas is sleeping soundly in his bed. After the whole ‘already being mated’ bomb, Chuck decided it was best for Cas to start living in his mate’s house and not with his family anymore. He and Dean of course still visit them every day for lunch and dinner, since the Alpha doesn’t trust Dean to feed his son properly, but they do live together now. Every time Chuck sees Dean, he looks at him like he wants to tear him into pieces, but he has never said anything about it. Dean is glad for that.

With the help of some herbs that the pack uses and Charlie, Dean is back to his normal healthy and busy self, already working at the pack’s garage; but what is more interesting is that he doesn’t have a guard anymore following him around like a dog, and he can simply relax and live his life -if what he has here can be called a life- without having anyone watching him all the time. But all of that are still not comforting at all, because now he has even bigger problems.

Everything has changed since the day Cas came to live with him. Knowing that most of the people here think that he and Cas are mated makes him feel like a pedophile and all the judgmental looks he gets whenever he leaves the cabin are proof enough for him that they think so too or maybe everything is just in his head and they simply hate him. He has never felt worst in his entire life.

As he gets up from the couch, he heads to the kitchen to make some herbal tea that Charlie gave him, in order to help him with his sleep. He hasn’t, however, told her the reason why he can’t sleep. He wouldn’t know how to explain it to her, where to begin. The truth is that he gets more and more dreams of his past life and when he wakes up from them, he can’t go back to sleep.

When the tea is done, he stands with his mug in his hand and looks outside the window at the dark night. There is a sound of a door opening slowly somewhere in the cabin and the human turns his head only to see Cas standing hesitantly by the bedroom’s door.

“Hey, Cas…” the human says and then looks back outside the window. The boy watches him for a second and then he approaches.

“Hey…” Cas says in return and sits at the kitchen table.

“Are you having trouble sleeping?” Dean asks him, sitting opposite him at the table.

“I miss home. I don’t like it here”, Cas says out of the blue and takes Dean by surprise.

“I… I’m sorry, Cas. I never meant to take you away from your home”, Dean mutters. He didn’t expect Cas to feel like that. He was thrilled the first day he came to move in with him.

“I feel lonely. You’re never around and you leave me alone all the time”, the boy cries. Dean should have seen this coming.

“But we still go to see your family every noon and every evening. Why do you feel so lonely? And what about your friends? You know I have a job that I have to do too. I can’t be home all the time. We spend time together when I’m home”, Dean reasons, but Cas seems unimpressed by his answer.

“Yes, but you’re never with me when you’re here. You let me sleep alone all the time and you haven’t really talked to me in weeks. As for my friends, I never see them anymore. Their parents don’t like that I am permanently mated with a human and they don’t let them talk to me. And dad says I need to be at my mate’s house, ‘cause now you are the head of my family and he doesn’t let me spend any time at home with my brothers outside lunch and dinner. I don’t like it here and it’s all because of a lie. You lied to my daddy that you mated me and now he doesn’t want me back”, Cas says, as tears start fogging his eyes.

Dean lets the mug on the table and quickly goes to Cas’ side, enveloping the boy in his arms. Cas hugs him back and cries freely now.

“I’m sorry, Cas, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry, baby”, Dean says in a soothing voice, while kissing the top of Cas’ head. The truth is that he didn’t realize how little attention he was paying to Cas. He has made tremendous progress with Cas from his dreams, but in the process, he forgot about the real Cas or more accurately the Cas in the flesh; Cas from his dreams is plenty real.”  
“I promise I’ll never do that again and I’ll talk to your father and your friends. They can’t just ignore you like this”, the human says and kisses Cas’ forehead.

“Will you sleep with me tonight? In our bed?” Cas asks, looking at him with his huge blue eyes that are now red and puffy from crying. Instead of answering, Dean picks him up and takes him to the bedroom, laying him down on the bed and then lying down himself next to him, bringing the covers over both their bodies.

“Sleep, my angel. I’ll be here when you wake up”, Dean tells him, as Cas gets comfortable in his arms, feeling somewhat content for the first time in two weeks. It’s not long before they both fall asleep.

****

~*~

 

It’s the end of another lunch at the Alpha’s house and even though things are now looking better between Cas and Dean, after spending the night in the same bed for the first time since Cas moved in with him, things are still bad between him and the family; at least with Chuck. Dean’s relationship with the others has improved greatly.

Someone would have thought that after two weeks the Alpha would have accepted the situation, but the atmosphere is still intense and it doesn’t particularly help, when Dean brings up the things he talked about with Cas the previous night; that the boy should be able to come home whenever he wants and that his brothers should visit him as well and also that they should talk to the parents of Cas’ friends, because they‘re being unfair to him. He doesn’t get the reaction he’s hoping for from Chuck, but the others seem more than okay with what the human has to say and Gabriel seems determined to have a talk with the other kids’ parents.

Cas goes to play outside with Tessa and Kali and right before Dean is ready to leave, Michael takes him aside to talk to him.  
“I think it’s time for you to meet our guest in the basement”, he says and Dean feels his heart rate rise for a moment, before he nods.

“I’m ready”, he says with determination and then follows Michael down the hall and towards the door that leads to the basement. It is something that he has to do if he wants to face that night’s horrific events and get past them. It’s not only the dreams from his past life that are hunting him, but also the memory of that night. When he reaches the bottom of the basement’s stairs, he can see a blonde man chained on the east stone wall, but he can’t make out his features yet, because his head is bowed, looking like it is hanging lifelessly from the rest of his body. When he gets closer, however, the man lifts his head and locks eyes with him. A sign of recognition passes through the man’s eyes, before he speaks.

“I knew you would come back”, he mutters and then he faints.


	12. Reality Check

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! Please enjoy and tell me what you think! :D

Dean feels his heart racing as he stares stressful at the room around him. All the while, the man he recognizes from that night in his apartment is unconscious. There are hooks and chains decorating the walls and the ceiling, holding the man in place, and others that are not currently in use, while scratches that look a lot like they’ve been made by an animal are visible all over the floor; stains of blood cover the walls of the basement. Dean doesn’t dare to think how many people, even if they were werewolves like the man before him, have been kept imprisoned and tortured here.

All the facts in front of him terrify Dean and soon he realizes that he is hyperventilating; the thought that he is still a prisoner himself, even though things have improved when it comes to him and the pack, doesn’t particularly help either. The thing, however, that creeps him out the most from everything that he is experiencing right now are this man’s words; the words he said to him right before he passed out. ‘I knew you would come back’; what does that even mean? Was he delirious? Did he think Dean was someone else? Or was there a real meaning behind those words?

As Dean takes a step closer to the man, who is completely bound, he feels increased worry creeping up inside him that he can’t really explain. There’s no reason why he should feel this way, feel sorry for this guy; because this man in front of him is a monster in every sense of the word, a murderer that turns into a wild animal, who scares and kills people just for the fun of it. Someone who has attacked him personally along with the others and almost cost him his life. And yet his heart drops at the sight of the man’s wounds on his naked torso. There is dried blood everywhere and he looks awfully pale. No one bothered to give him a shirt or something, even though this room is freezing, and he is only wearing a pair of ripped and filthy jeans, also smeared with blood. His naked feet barely touch the floor and there’s a pool of blood underneath them. Now that Dean thinks about it, the cold is the least that this man is suffering from. His injuries are way worse than the low temperature.

The human has never seen someone being tortured before and even though he knows that this man is bad news, he can’t help but feel the need to help him; free him from his suffering. He looks so innocent now that he is unconscious and Dean without realizing that he is even doing it, reaches forward with his hand and brushes the man’s blonde hair, which is drenched in blood, off his forehead. His movement, however, causes the man to stir and suddenly come back to reality, finding his consciousness.

Icy blue eyes stare at Dean, who is frozen in place. The man’s gaze seems confused at first, then it softens and then it turns hard and unforgiving. Dean is at a loss for words and luckily for him, the man speaks first.

“What, they couldn’t get me to talk by torturing me and they decided to send you? A human? This pack is way more ridiculous than I originally thought”, the man says in a gruff voice, probably from disuse and then starts coughing blood.  
“You’re wasting your time. I’m not telling you anything”, he adds and turns his bloodshot eyes at his feet.

“What did you mean when you said that you knew I would come back?” Dean asks all of the sudden, feeling more courageous and ignoring the man’s words. The werewolf seems taken aback by that.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never said that”, he lies and keeps his head down, staring holes on the ground.

“Yeah, you did. Earlier, when I came down here. You saw me and said you knew I would come back and then you fainted”, Dean pushes.  
“Do you know me from somewhere?”

The werewolf seems to be contemplating his response, before he finally speaks.  
“I doubt it. We don’t exactly hang in the same circles.”

“Had you seen me before that night? The night of the attack?” Dean asks, not believing him.

“Yes. I was watching you for a couple of days with the guys, waiting for the right moment to strike. That is all. I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

“Then why did you say that? What did you mean?” Dean insists.

“I say all kinds of crap these days. My system is full of wolvesbayne and I’m not exactly in my right mind. So, whatever you’re thinking, there’s no point. I didn’t mean anything”, the man says and then starts coughing blood again.

Dean looks at him with concern. That coughing blood thing can’t be healthy. He’s dying, slowly but surely.  
“Why are you doing this to yourself? Why don’t you tell them what they want to know, so that they stop torturing you?” he asks.

The man lets a bitter laugh escape his lips that turns into coughing once again.  
“You’re joking, right? If I tell them what they want to know, they’ll kill me. Simple as that. Besides, this is far more important than my life. I would never tell them anything.”

“Why would they do that? Perhaps they’ll spare you if you behave.”

“I killed one of their own. They would never spare me for that. They’ve been itching to kill me ever since they caught me. And I told you, this is more important than my life.”

“What is your name?” Dean asks then.

The werewolf looks at him wickedly before he answers.  
“Lucifer, just like the Morning Star.”

“Your parents named you after the devil? What, were all the cool names taken?”

Lucifer looks weird for a moment, like something of the things Dean said got under his skin.  
“My parents are dead. They have been for a long time now. I chose the name myself, because it suits me”, Lucifer says and coughs again.

Definitely a name like that would suit a killer. Dean tries to remember Lucifer from that night. What he did, what his actions were, before Michael’s team came bursting through the door. He remembers Lucifer standing by the door, staring at him, while one of the other two guys was beating the crap out of him. It was like he was frozen there, unable to move. He had looked like he was surprised to see Dean there, which makes no sense, because he said that he had been watching them. He knew Dean had him. Maybe not surprised then, but like there was something in Dean that was familiar to him and he was just realizing it or something completely different, but the point is that he had looked weird as hell. Then something had snapped in him and he had decisively entered Dean’s bedroom, looking for Cas. At the memory of Cas, the human fills with anger.

“Why were you trying to kidnap Cas? He’s just a little boy. He never did anything to you and your pack.”  
The look Lucifer gives him says that he disagrees with him, but his mouth tells a different story.  
“His father always gets in our way. We were just trying to punish him by taking his son away. He was looking for suitors for the kid. He was trying to expand by taking another pack on his side. We had to act fast. We were never really interested in the kid.”

Dean studies him with his eyes for a moment and Lucifer becomes uncomfortable under his gaze and looks away.  
“You’re lying. I don’t know how I know, but you are lying. You’re not telling me the whole truth. You’re using Cas’ father as an excuse. There’s something else going on here.”

“Wow, you seem really invested in the kid. Did you fuck him yet? Is that why you’re acting so protective of him all of the sudden?” Lucifer asks, trying to stir the talk away from the topic.

“Listen to me, you sick fuck, you have no right to talk about me and Cas like that. Cas is an innocent little child that has done nothing to you and I won’t let you say those filthy things about him”, Dean warns him, getting in his face.

“That child you’re referring to is far from innocent and little. If only you knew… he’s the real murderer”, Lucifer says and then looks away, fearing that he gave away too much.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Dean asks, staring at him.  
“You know…” the human says after a moment, when realization hits him. Lucifer looks at him dumbfounded.

“You know?” the werewolf asks in return after a moment, looking surprised and a little scared. His eyes look like they’re going to pop out of their sockets.  
“How is that possible? You’re just a man. You’re not supposed to know.”

“You know about Cas”, Dean realizes.  
“How? No one knows. Not even Cas knows. You know what he is.”

“No, this can’t be happening again”, Lucifer mutters, staring at Dean with wide eyes.  
“It can’t be… it wasn’t supposed to…”

“What did you mean, when you said he is a murderer?” Dean asks interrupting his mumbling.

“No, no… it can’t be… she promised me”

“Who promised you what? What are you not saying? SPEAK!” Dean yells at him, but that seems to only make Lucifer worse.

“NO, NO, SHE PROMISED ME…” Lucifer screams in Dean’s face.  
“NO, NO, NO… IT CAN’T BE…”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” Dean screams in return, but then Michael appears out of nowhere, hitting Lucifer with force on his head and making him lose his consciousness again.

Dean stares at Michael with wide eyes.  
“We need to talk; ALONE. Go and wait for me at the garage. My wife and brother are at your cabin with Cas. Make sure no one sees you leaving the house. My Father doesn’t know you’re here. Go!” Michael orders and Dean nods, unable to utter a word.

 

~*~

 

“What was that man talking about?” Dean asks, when they’re alone with Michael at the garage, all doors securely closed to keep them away from prying eyes and curious ears.

“I could ask you the same thing. I remained hidden and I heard the whole conversation. You didn’t honestly think that I would leave you alone with him, did you?” Michael says in return.  
“What do you think you know and you think he knows it too?”

“I’m not sure I’m supposed to talk about it”, Dean says instead of answering.

“This is my little brother we’re talking about. If you know something, you must tell me. I need to know if my brother’s life is in danger. This is the closest we have ever gotten to taking a straight answer from Lucifer. You must tell me what it is that you know, so that I can connect the dots”, Michael orders, staring at Dean.

Dean tries to find the words to begin. He is still not sure if he should be doing this, but then again dream Cas never said anything about keeping this a secret. Dean just assumed that it wasn’t the most reasonable thing to start telling people and he didn’t really want little Cas to know about this either.  
“It’s something that I found out recently and I’m still not certain whether it’s just my imagination or it’s real.”

Michael stares at him expectantly, so Dean continues.  
“I had a dream some time ago and in my dream I was in the form of a wolf. At first I thought that maybe I was letting the whole situation get into my head and the fact that I was seeing you people turn into wolves everyday had affected me and my mind was making stuff up. But the truth is that there was something even weirder in my dream. I saw Cas.”

“And how is that weird exactly?”

“Well, it’s weird because I saw him all grown up and he and I had a little chat. One out of the ordinary. I know that I was dreaming, but the conversation seemed real and I’ve had other dreams like that ever since.”

“Do you remember what you were talking about?” he asks. Dean is surprised to see that Michael doesn’t call him crazy right away, but looks like the thing Dean just told him actually makes sense.

The human hesitates for a moment before he speaks.  
“Older dream Cas told me that he and I are soulmates.”

Michael freezes at the sound of those words.  
“He said that he and I have shared previous lives together and that in those previous lives I was a werewolf myself. He said that every time we are born in different families that consist of different people, different parents, different siblings, but we always remain the same, unaltered. He said that every time he is the one looking for me and the one that reminds me of who I am and what I am to him. He actually remembers things from our previous lives, not everything, but enough and I think that in my dreams I might be starting to remember things as well.”

Michael is speechless for a moment and his eyes betray that he knows more than he lets on, but the only thing he does is make Dean keep going with his story. He seems interested to know everything there is to know.  
“What do you remember?” the werewolf asks.

“Well, in that first dream, Cas told me that I had somehow entered one of his memories of us. Little Cas –real Cas- was actually sleeping and dreaming at that moment and so was I and that’s how I entered his dream. Dream Cas said that it was something normal between soulmates. He said soulmates can enter each other’s dreams. I had several dreams like that after the first one. I was always getting pulled in Cas’ dreams and he was always there and he remembered all of our conversations from previous dreams. The last one I had, however, was different. Cas wasn’t there, so it couldn’t have been one of his dreams. I think it was my own dream and that it was a memory from a past life.”

“What was the dream about?” Michael asks. Dean thinks the werewolf is just humoring him and that he doesn’t really believe him, but Michael seems way too serious to be doing just that.

“I was with my son, apparently. His name was Nicklaus and I was calling him Nicky. I’ve seen him before in Cas’ dreams and he was only a baby in those dreams, but in my dream he was talking and I was teaching him how to hunt in the woods or something, in our wolf forms”, Dean finishes.

“Is Nicklaus the only person other than Cas that you have met in those dreams? Do you know any other names?” Michael asks.

“Well, Nicky is the only one I’ve met in person, but Cas told me in the first dream that in my previous life I had a sister named Samantha and a brother named Henry. Why are you asking?”

“Why did he mention those? What was he talking to you about?”

“He said that there had been an invasion of rogue wolves in our pack and that my siblings and I, probably along with others, were chasing them away. That dream was a memory of my return after chasing the said rogue wolves.”

“What else do you know about Cas?”

“I know why real Cas can’t connect with his wolf and he’s losing it and can’t shift back at will.”

“Why?”

“Dream Cas says he’s the one controlling the wolf. He says he’s living through the wolf and even though little Cas knows nothing of his existence, he knows everything there is to know about the boy’s life. He knows everyone in Cas’ life, including you.”

“Why did you think that Lucifer knows about this?”

“Because he said Cas is far from little and innocent. That made me think that he knows about dream Cas. But he called him a murderer and I don’t understand what that means and why he would say that about Cas. Dream Cas has been nothing but good. He never gave me a reason to think differently.”

Michael looks like he’s overthinking and Dean desperately wants to know what the man in front of him believes.  
“Do you know something? Could what I just told you be real? Is there such possibility?”

“I have to talk to my Father and the elders, before I can tell you anything, but I need you to promise me that you won’t speak a word of this to anyone else, especially Cas. He can’t know, not until I’ve talked to the elders.”

“Okay, but can’t you just tell me at least something? Am I losing my mind or is there something here?” Dean asks and Michael avoids to look at him. Instead he seems ready to bolt.

“I’ll tell you soon”, is the only thing the werewolf says, before he leaves. Dean feels just as confused as he was, when he first entered the garage, but Michael’s reaction was certainly something new and weird.

 

~*~

 

When Dean goes back to his cabin, he finds Gabriel and Tessa playing what seems to be a board game with Cas. Dean realizes it’s one of his own, which he hasn’t played for years.

“Hey”, is the only thing he says, as he goes to sit on the couch, near where they’re playing, sitting around the coffee table.

“Dean”, Cas shouts excited, getting up and hugging him tightly.

“What are you up to, little man?” Dean says and kisses his forehead, while Cas gets comfortable on his lap.

“Gabe, aunt Tessa and I were playing a very cool table game. You want to play with us?” the little boy answers, while smiling at Dean.

“Do you mean board game?” Dean asks amused. It is weird how his mood changes immediately for the better every time he sees Cas.

“That’s what I said”, Cas says and then yawns.

“Sure you did, Cas”, Dean tells him and ruffles the boy’s hair, as Cas lets his head drop on the human’s chest.

“We don’t really have any of these things”, Tessa interrupts, pointing around her, at the board game, the books and the TV.  
“That’s why Cas doesn’t know what it’s called. I’m not any of those wolves who hate humans and their creations, but I must say I was surprised with how fun this was to play”, she adds.

“What do you mean? You don’t play board games, read books or watch TV?”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Deano, but your cabin is the only one with a television and it was a bitch to install too, because we had no idea how to make the antenna work. We were just trying to make you feel as comfortable as possible by bringing stuff from your old life into the new one. We wolves are above such bullshit. We have more fulfilling things to do.”

“Of course you do. How could you not?” Dean tells him.

“Are you being sarcastic?” the werewolf asks.

Dean just grins at him and Gabriel rolls his eyes.

“So, how did it go with you know who?” Gabriel changes the subject.

Dean loses his grin at the mention of his meeting with Lucifer and unintentionally strengthens his hold on Cas.  
“Interestingly. But what was more interesting was your brother’s reaction to some of the things that happened and some stuff I told him.”

“Michael?” Tessa asks.

“What stuff?” asks Gabriel, interrupting her.

“I think you’d better talk to him yourself. He said he was going to speak to your father and the rest of the elders.”

“The elders? What the hell happened down there?” Gabriel says, while standing up from where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Tessa. Tessa does the same.

“Beats me. Go ask him”, Dean says instead and looks down at Cas, who has his eyes closed, looking very relaxed. It seems like every time Dean holds him nowadays, Cas easily falls asleep.  
“I think I’d better go put Cas in bed”, he adds then.

“He must be exhausted. He was very excited today that he could spend some time with us and we played all kinds of games”, Tessa explains, when she looks at the sleeping boy in Deans arms.

“Come on, Tessa, we must go and Dean needs to put Cas in bed. I have to know what happened. I need to talk to Michael”, Gabriel says and leaves hastily. Tessa follows him, after she waves at Dean.

When they’re gone, Dean exhales deeply and carries Cas to the bedroom, lying down next to him. He feels reluctant to leave him alone after everything that happened with Lucifer and Michael and soon, even though, he wasn’t tired earlier, he finds himself closing his eyes. Not too long after that he once again starts dreaming.


	13. First Alpha

_It’s a nice and warm summer afternoon and like always Dean spends it by the river with his brother and their friends. He can hear them splashing in the water, others in their human forms and others in their wolf forms, but all around him supply him with the same energy. As the pack’s Alpha now, Dean can feel all of the pack’s energy and he’s stronger than ever._

_“Hey”, he hears his brother’s voice, the moment he feels droplets of water fall on his skin. He reluctantly opens his eyes just to see Henry standing above him all wet from his dive in the river, dripping water all over him._

_“You’re getting me all wet, you idiot. Sit down”, Dean says grumpily._

_“Is that an order, great Alpha?” Henry asks and smirks._

_“Sit down, you jerk”, Dean retorts irritated, as he sits cross-legged to talk with his brother._

_“Did you hear the news?” Henry asks, sitting next to his older brother._

_“What news?” Dean asks in return as he watches Joanna perform a dive from the highest rock, screaming all the way to the water._

_“Little Novak is on his way here to greet you. You’ll finally meet your omega, brother. How does that feel?”_

_“Who told you that? And why is he meeting me here and not tonight at the ceremony in front of our elders?”_

_“I hear he’s very impatient to meet you and he didn’t want to wait until tonight. He’s a feisty little thing. Mark my words; you two belong together.”_

_“Yeah, dude, whatever… How is Rory doing, by the way? Or was it Meredith? I can’t keep up with your lovers anymore. When are you going to settle down? You’re an alpha, Henry. You can’t keep wasting your time with flings like a human; you need to start a family.”_

_“You say that like it’s a bad thing. I always admired humans, because they can enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Besides, you’re the pack’s Alpha now and you’re the only one who is expected to settle down. I will live my life the way I want to live it.”_

_“Were you serious the other day? You really want to leave the pack to go and live among the humans? I don’t understand why you find that so appealing. What if they find out what you are and they kill you? And even if you’re not worried about that, are you really going to leave your big brother now that he needs you the most? I just became the pack’s Alpha and I need people I can trust around me.”_

_“It’s just for a little while. It’s not vacation, Dean. I’m going to study with the Men of Letters. Do you realize what a great honor that is? No wolf has ever gotten inside their society. I’ll study the laws of the paranormal and the supernatural. Spells and sigils and all of the things that can keep our pack safe. When I’m done and I come back, I’ll be a much greater help for you. Besides, you won’t even notice I’m gone. You’ll have your mate to keep you company”, Henry says and Dean rolls his eyes._

_“Who told you, anyway? Who said he’s coming here?”_

_“Jo did. She saw them on her way here. They’re not far behind, but you know Jo; she’s fast.”_

_“She’s such a show off”, Dean says grumpily, as he watches her perform another impressive dive from the rock. He still can’t let go of the fact that she beat him at the hunting games two months ago. But that was before he became Alpha. If they competed again, she would be no match for him._

_“Hey, I think they’re here”, Henry says suddenly, interrupting Dean’s thoughts, while pointing at a group of newcomers._

_The moment Dean sees the boy who is intended to be his mate, he immediately feels gravitated towards him. There’s this beautiful energy around the boy, who is no older than fourteen that is calling out to Dean, inviting him in. Dean, a sixteen year old himself, hasn’t learned yet to control his feelings and before he knows it, he’s standing before the younger boy, who is smiling at him broadly._

_“At last, I found you”, the boy says and Dean feels like he’s experiencing some kind of déjà vu. He suddenly finds himself taking the boy’s image in and finding it wrong… different than it should be and then he realizes._

_“Cas? Is it you? I mean ‘dream you’?” he asks and the boy’s face falls._

_“I didn’t realize this was a dream… I thought… You must have pulled me in one of your dreams, because I didn’t come here intentionally. This is the first time this happens”, Cas explains._

_The others around them don’t seem to be paying any attention to them and they continue playing games in the water. Cas’ escorts have also joined them._

_“I need to talk to you. Something happened in the real world”, Dean says, getting Cas’ attention._

_“What do you mean? What happened? Does it have to do anything with the fact that Michael pulled you aside earlier?”_

_“Yes. Michael took me to see their prisoner in the basement. A man named Lucifer and I had an interesting conversation with him”, Dean says and pauses._  
_“Cas… I think he knows about you.”_

_“What do you mean?” Cas asks warily._

_“I think he knows about who you really are. He knows that you’re not just a little boy. He knows about the spirit inside the wolf.”_

_“What makes you say that?”_

_“A couple of things he said… that you are far from little and innocent. I think that there was an agenda behind your attempted kidnapping. They wanted to use you somehow.”_

_“Did he say anything else?” Cas asks coldly._

_“No”, Dean says, reluctant to give away everything. He can’t tell Cas that the man called him a murderer. There are certain things that Dean has to find out on his own first._  
_“Cas, what are the last memories you have of our last life together? Do you remember when you died? How you died? What was happening?”_

_“I have no such memories. The only memories I have are moments of happiness with you. I remember our children, but…”_

_“What is the latest memory you have?”_

_“Eating dinner with you, Nick and our younger children…”_

_“How old is Nick in that memory?”_

_“I… I don’t know… it’s a little fuzzy. He couldn’t have been more than eight though”, Cas finishes and looks confused._

_“So, you have no later memory than that? You have no way of knowing what happened to us after that?”_

_“I… I don’t know what to tell you… but… it’s still early. I mean, when we have the ceremony, our memories will return.”_

_“What about our older lives? Do you remember how you died in those?”_

_“No… but I know we had long and full lives”, Cas says, before Dean interrupts him._

_“How can you know if you don’t remember?”_

_“Because we’re wolves. That’s how wolves work.”_

_“But you don’t remember. So, you can’t be sure about it. You’re just assuming that’s what happened.”_

_“Dean? What’s wrong? You seem distant, today”, Cas says as he reaches Dean’s face with his hand and caresses it tenderly._

_“There’s something I haven’t told you yet.”_

_“What is it?”_

_“I told Michael and I think we might be in trouble”, Dean says and looks warily at Cas’ young face and blue eyes._

_“You told him what exactly?”_

_“About you. About the dreams and the whole being soulmates thing.”_

_Cas pulls his hand back before he speaks._  
_“And what did he say?”_

_“That he was going to talk to his father and the elders.”_

_“Dean, listen to me carefully. You weren’t supposed to tell anyone about that. People can’t know that we’re soulmates. There are spells out there that can harvest the souls of soulmates to use them for other purposes. If this reaches the wrong ears, we could be in danger.”_

_“What spells? What are you talking about? I told your brother. Your brother would never do that.”_

_“I trust my brother, but I don’t trust everyone in this pack. We can’t take that risk. We must leave. Take little Cas and run. Hide. Please Dean, do it fast”, Cas tells him in an urgent voice._

_“Run, Dean… RUN!”_

 

Dean wakes up with a start and he is sweaty all over. His heart is hammering in his chest, as he looks next to him for Cas; but the boy is missing.

Hurriedly, he gets out of bed and he runs to the living room to see if Cas is there, but he is nowhere to be found. He then looks in the bathroom, but with no luck.

“Cas?” he yells, but there is no response.

He runs outside, feeling like his heart is going to explode, but he can’t find him anywhere. With determination he goes to the last place he can think of that Cas could possibly be, even though they were just there a couple hours before. The Alpha’s house.

“Is Cas here?” he asks the moment he opens the door. Kali and Tessa look at him like he’s gone crazy.

“No, Dean. We left him with you, remember? You were going to put him in bed for sleep five hours ago.”

“Five hours? What are you talking about? I just went to sleep. Oh my God, no…” Dean says and pulls his hair with his hands desperately.

“Dean, what’s the matter? Relax, he’s probably playing with his friends or something.”

“No, Cas never leaves without telling me. Where are the others?”

“They’re all at a meeting with the elders. They should be here, any time now”, Kali informs him.

“I need to talk to them right now. Where does that meeting take place?” Dean asks.

“At the large building in the back that looks like a barn, but I strongly advise you against it. You can’t interrupt the elders’ meeting, Dean”, Tessa tells him with alarm in her voice.

“This is a matter of life and death. I have to”, he tells her and runs back outside.

 

~*~

 

“How can this be true? I can’t believe it… Henry and that mud monkey are connected? This is…” Chuck says, before Missouri interrupts him.

“The only explanation. I felt his soul when I first saw him. He has a piece of Henry in his soul. A piece of our Alpha and if what he says is true then he is far more important than Henry himself. He is the mythical Alpha. The first Alpha.”

“This is ridiculous. He’s just a man”, Rufus yells.

“He’s not just a man and he is not just a wolf either. He is greater than both. What do we know about this man’s family? Michael, what have your men found out?” Missouri asks, turning to look at the younger alpha.

“Not all good things. His mother comes from a long line of great hunters, but we haven’t found proof that she’s been one at any point in her life. His father was an orphan and he lost his father at a very young age. He was abandoned. We tried to get documents with his parents’ names on them, a birth certificate or something, but none was found. It’s like the man’s family before his wife and his sons doesn’t exist.”

“What about Dean’s last name?” Chuck asks, getting in the conversation.

“His name is Winchester. And he has a brother named Sam. Just like in his dream, where he had a sister named Samantha. The ‘W’ on Henry’s family crest could stand for Winchester”, Gabriel reasons.

“And what about the ‘N’?” Rufus asks.

“From what I understand from my studies, in the past, a pack’s crest was decorated with the letters of both the family of the first Alpha and the family of the first Omega, which could mean that the ‘N’ is the initial of Castiel’s family’s name.”

“But we don’t know what our family name is. We stopped using family names centuries ago. We can’t be sure whether our Cas is descendant from that line”, Chuck argues, looking like this conversation has exhausted him.

“Your line is old, Charles. It is a great honor to be the father of the first Omega”, Missouri tells him.  
“Your wife named your son after the first Omega, because she always knew that he was going to be one himself, but now I wonder whether it was fate that made her make that decision. The human said that he and Cas always carry those names, like in the myth. We were too busy to notice that the human carries the name of the first Alpha. A Dean and a Castiel. How can this be coincidental?”

“Sarah named Cas after the first Omega, only because she was in love with that stupid fairytale. There is no first Alpha and no first Omega. Soulmates don’t exist and all this is bullshit. Do you honestly believe that our Henry could possibly be the brother of the first true Alpha? And what? You think this mud monkey can somehow be related to him and be the reincarnation of his brother? He is nothing but a human. Completely unworthy of my son. If it’s not a coincidence than the human is simply lying”, Chuck says.

“Father, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m afraid I’m gonna have to disagree with you. This is too accurate to be only a coincidence. And what about Dean? He has never heard of our fairytales and myths. How could he have possibly made this stuff up?” Michael disagrees.

“Perhaps Castiel told him of the myths. His mother always used to read them to him”, Chuck retorts.

“He was way too young to remember them, dad. And even if he did and he told them to Dean, what would Dean earn by lying about the whole thing? And how do you explain what happened with Lucifer?”

“Michael has a point. And Missouri said that she sensed Henry in him. Missouri has never been wrong before”, Gabriel intervenes.

“The question still remains, however. If all this is true and this Dean is who we think he is and so is Castiel, what was Crowley’s pack planning to do with the boy? Both Michael and the human think that they have a secret agenda and they know of their true nature. What was he planning to do with Castiel when he took him?” Rufus asks, earning the room’s attention. He is the only elder, except for Missouri, who has expressed his thoughts on the matter.

“There is something else too. Lucifer said that he was watching them for at least two days before he tried to get Cas. He said he was waiting for the right time. What was the thing that was holding them back? They couldn’t possibly be afraid of Dean or any other humans. They could have attacked him during any other night. Why did they have to wait until that specific night?” Michael wonders.

“We need to interrogate Lucifer again. We can’t figure this out on our own”, Chuck concludes and he looks ready to say something else right when the doors of the meeting hall fly open.

All eyes turn to the entrance only to see Dean gasping to find his breath.  
“Help me! I can’t find Cas anywhere. He’s gone!” the human says, but before anyone has the chance to react, Gadreel comes running inside.

“Lucifer escaped. He’s not in the basement”, he shouts and all faces turn pale.

 

~*~

_**  
** _

_…THREE YEARS LATER…_

“DEAN! DEAN!” someone from the pack shouts. He’s in the middle of another pointless investigation. Three years now and there’s been no sign of Cas. After the disappearance the dreams kept evolving, taking him further into the past, but none of his memories have done anything to help him with the current situation. He hasn’t seen ‘dream Cas’ since little Cas disappeared and the only memories he gets are his own. But lately his dreams have grown weirder. His present has started getting mixed up with the past. He’s seen Sam and his dad more times than he should to think of it as a simple coincidence.

Of course, maybe it’s because he misses them, but that still doesn’t explain why he never sees his mother, who he misses the most. Even Bobby has popped up in his dreams a few times. And it’s true that he had made an agreement all those years back that he would be able to call his family every once in a while, but the events and all the discoveries have prevented him from ever calling them. He’s pretty sure that by now his family and friends probably think he’s dead. And even though, that’s painful to think about, the thing that hurts him the most is the fact that he doesn’t know whether Cas is the one who’s really dead or if he’s still alive.

Lucifer was also never found. They’re still keeping Crowley very well guarded, but he doesn’t seem to know and no one else from his pack seems to know or at least wants to tell them where Lucifer is. The elders and most of the pack all think that he’s the one who has Cas, but they’re not so sure. When they had first started searching for them, they had found both of their trails, which were heading to different directions in the woods. Surprisingly, they had both left in their human forms.

“Where the hell are you, Cas?” Dean mutters, before he hears the voice calling his name again. He’s a young wolf named Ash that ever since he found out about Dean has done nothing but become the man’s shadow. He always looks at Dean like he’s hanging from the tip of his lips every time Dean speaks and the other wolves always make fun of him for that.

After Cas vanished, the elders decided that it was best to tell the pack -after they informed Dean of course- everything they had discovered about the human. It was the best way of keeping him safe, because they were afraid that the pack would think of him as the responsible one for the boy’s disappearance. And so everyone found out that Dean is actually the reincarnation of the first Alpha, something that a lot of them, including Chuck, still don’t believe, but no one can ignore the facts and no one dares to talk about their doubts, because it is something that the elders said. And when the elders get involved, no one questions their words.

“Hey, Dean, wait up!” Ash shouts again.

“What’s wrong?” Dean turns to face the young werewolf.

“It’s getting dark. We should probably head back to camp. It’s not safe for you”, Ash explains before his eyes drift to Dean’s bloody shirt.  
“What happened to you? Are you hurt?” he asks worriedly.

“It’s just a scratch. I can handle myself, don’t worry. Is Michael and Gabriel heading back as well?”

“Yeah, Gabriel told me to find you and bring you back to the truck.”

“Fine. Let’s go then”, Dean mutters and starts following Ash silently.

When they reach the camp an hour later, like every other day, most of the pack is gathered in front of the Alpha’s cabin, waiting for them and like always when they see their faces, disappointment and hurt replaces the look of hope that was displayed on their own faces before.

“Still nothing?” Charlie asks, looking miserable.

Dean just shakes his head negatively.

“Charlie, please take Dean in your cabin and fix him up. He needs stitches on his torso”, Michael instructs before he enters his house with Gabriel. The rest of the pack starts scattering and Dean and Charlie are the only ones who stay put.

“Are you okay?” the redhead asks.

“It’s only a scratch, I’m fine.”

“I wasn’t talking about the scratch… Come on, let’s see what we can do about those stitches.”

Once they’re inside Charlie’s cabin, in the room that Dean had spent countless days when he had first arrived here, she tells him to remove his shirt to see the damage.

“What happened?” she asks, when she starts observing the wound.

“Nothing… just a stupid branch. It ripped my shirt and it scratched me a little.”

“Yeah, I can see. It’s not deep, but it definitely needs stitches. How come you were so careless? It doesn’t sound like you”, Charlie says, as she takes a piece of cotton and a bottle of alcohol to clean the wound.

“I don’t know. I guess I was distracted. I thought that I had been in that part of the woods before, even though, it was the first day we were searching that area. It looked so familiar. I think that I’ve seen it in one of my dreams”, Dean replies and winces, when the alcohol gets in contact with the open wound.

“How’s that going? Any new dreams lately? Still no Cas?” Charlie asks. Charlie, over the course of the last three years has become something of a psychologist for Dean and she’s been helping him decode his dreams. They still hope that perhaps Dean’s dreams can help them find Cas.

“No. No Cas. I saw my father again last night. He’s been haunting my dreams lately, along with my brother.”

“Maybe you just miss them.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking, but it’s kind of weird.”

“How come?”

“They appear inside my memories. I have learned to distinguish simple and normal dreams from the memories, but I don’t see them in the normal dreams, I always see them inside my memories.”

“What are they doing there?” Charlie asks, raising a brow.

“They look totally out of place and they always have this look, like they’re trying to warn me about something, but they never get the words out. They always try to speak, but it’s like I’m watching a movie and it’s on mute and I don’t understand them and no one around me notices them but me.”

“You were right; that IS weird! Take a deep breath and hold it. I’m going to start stitching you now”, she says and pauses, while she gives Dean the first two stitches.  
“Good boy! Now let it go and take one more deep breath for me”, she adds and when Dean does, she gives him three more. A couple of minutes later, they’re finished.  
“Good as new”, Charlie says, placing a band aid over the stitches and then her eyes fall on the tattoo Dean has high on his chest.

“Thanks.”

“Hey, what does that tattoo stand for? I always wondered. Is that a pentagram? Isn’t that supposed to be related to Satan or something?” Charlie asks, pointing at the tattoo.

“No, actually, it’s for protection. My parents have this book that has all kinds of protective sigils and stuff for good karma or whatever. My father got one just like this one before he went to war. He had both me and my brother do it on our fourteenth birthday. It’s a family tradition I suppose”, Dean says. He has never really thought about his tattoo. When he did it, he just thought it looked cool and for him it was one more thing that would make him look more like his father.

“Why fourteen? Isn’t that a bit young? Why would you need protection at such a young age?”

“I don’t know. At the time I was just glad that it covered my stupid birthmark.”

“What birthmark?” Charlie asks interested.

“It was kind of weird. It looked like a series of lines or whatever. My brother had the exact same mark on the exact same spot where he also got his tattoo.”

“Do you remember what it looked like exactly?”

“Yeah. Do you have a pen and a piece of paper?”

“Here”, Charlie says, as she gives him her notebook and her pen.

“It kinda looks like a ‘W’”, she mutters when she sees it.

“Yeah, I guess. It kinda does”, Dean agrees, but before they have the chance to say anything else, Ash comes bursting through the door.

“What’s the matter?” Charlie asks alarmed.

“Our land has been breached. Everyone is on high alert and they asked me to come here and protect Dean with you. It looks like an invasion”, Ash says, trying to catch his breath.

“An invasion of what?” Dean asks confused.

“Wolves…” Ash explains.

“Rogues”, Charlie mutters.


	14. "Rogue" Wolves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I promised, here's the update! Enjoy! ;-)

“Have we estimated how many of them there are?” Michael asks, as he starts hastily taking his clothes off, in order to turn into a wolf himself and join his brothers in battle.

“There are at least twenty of them, but there is something you need to know”, Gadreel responds and pauses.

“What’s that?” Michael asks.

“There is a child among them, a werewolf but in his human form… We think it might be Castiel. His smell has changed a little, but he looks just like him, only older.”

“Castiel?” Michael’s face turns pale as the name rolls off his tongue.  
“How is that possible? And what is he doing with them?”

“He’s the one leading them here”, Gadreel says and Michael gives no response but only puts his clothes back on and runs outside to meet with the others.

 

~*~

 

They have all taken battle formation. Most of them are in their wolf forms, but Michael, Gabriel, Gadreel and Benny are still in their human forms. They outnumber the rogues anyway, so not all of them need to be wolves right now. They can still avoid the battle, if they just talk to Castiel. Now that he’s here, Michael has no doubt that the boy in front of him is his little brother.

There are thirty feet between them and the army of the rogue wolves. Castiel stands in the front row, in the middle and he is surrounded by a group of wolves that look like they’re his guards; standing there to protect him.

“CASTIEL!” yells Michael after a long period of silence. No one has made a move to attack the other. Both armies are holding their ground.  
“What is the meaning of this?”

“I’m looking for a safe place for my friends and me”, comes a much gruffer voice than anyone remembers from Castiel’s lips.

“Your friends? These are rogues. They have no place among our pack. Where have you been all these years?”

“They’re not rogues. They’re just wolves that had no pack. Now I’m their pack leader. Are you going to send us away? Are you going to attack us? We’re not here to fight”, Castiel says.

“Michael looks first to his right at his brother Gabriel, who has the same look on his face that he does and then to his left at Benny.

“What if we take them to the Elders? Cas would never try to trick us and hurt us. We should leave the decision to them”, Benny suggests.

“You’re right”, Michael whispers.  
“If you want to stay here, you’re going to have to take your request to the Elders, Castiel. I want you and only you to follow me to go talk to them about our situation here”, Michael yells and suddenly the group of wolves around the boy get closer to him.

Before Castiel can give him a response, the wolf who was standing the closest to him this whole time, one with dark fur, turns right in front of their eyes into a young woman with dark brown hair, almost similar to her previous fur.  
“Clarence isn’t going anywhere without me”, she says, putting a possessive arm around Castiel’s shoulders.

“And who are you?” Michael asks her.

“I’m Meg. His lieutenant”, she answers and smirks at Michael.

“Okay, you can come with, but the rest must stay here.”

“Fine. Let’s go talk to those Elders of yours, Clarence”, she says and leads the way to Castiel’s brothers.

 

~*~

 

“What’s happening out there? It’s been two hours. I need to know what’s going on. I can’t stay here any longer”, Dean says and gets up from the couch, ready to leave Charlie’s cabin.

“Dean, don’t. It’s not safe for you. They’ll tell us soon. Rogue wolves, although, they’re aggressive and really dangerous, don’t travel in large numbers. I’m sure our pack can handle them and then they’ll come find us to let us know that the coast is clear. The members of the pack have put their faith in you to bring Castiel home. We can’t risk any of them hurting you. It’s going to be fine”, Charlie tries to reassure him.

“I feel so useless. I’m so powerless. I can’t do anything right. I even needed stitches, because of a stupid scratch. And the search for Cas has led to nothing. I’m his mate and I’m supposed to be able to find him, but I can’t. It’s been three years and I’ve done nothing of import. Everyone thinks I am something that I’m not”, Dean says and pauses, looking straight in Ash’s eyes, the wolf who admires him the most.  
“I’m only a stupid human, who can’t do anything to help”, Dean yells and then buries his face in his hands as he sits back down on the couch.

“You’re not useless, Dean. Your dreams have helped us a lot to connect some pieces of the puzzle. You are valuable to us and I’m sure that sooner or later, we’ll find Cas”, Charlie, says, rubbing his back soothingly.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door.  
“Come in”, Charlie shouts.

When the door opens, Benny appears at the threshold and immediately all three of them are standing on their feet.  
“What happened? Is everyone okay?” Dean asks and Benny seems to be hesitating to give him an answer.

“Oh my God! Did someone die?” Charlie asks next.

“No, no… everyone is fine, but there are some developments that I need to talk to you about.”

“What kind of developments?” Dean wants to know.

“Well, first off, the wolves that came in our land weren’t rogue. They came here to find shelter. They were lone wolves who recently became a pack under the leadership of someone we know”, Benny says carefully.

“Who might that someone be?” Dean asks, while he feels his heart hammering inside his chest, like he already knows the answer to that.

“Castiel. He’s back. He’s the one who led them here.”

“Oh my God!” Ash can’t stop himself from saying, looking worriedly at Dean.

“So, he’s been safe and with them this whole time?” Dean asks, his eyes not leaving the ground.

“He said he left, because he wanted to, this time. No one forced him to leave. He wanted to find himself and during his search he came upon those unfortunate wolves. There are all mostly children. The oldest is only twenty”, Benny says, exchanging helpless looks with the others.

“I see”, is the only thing that Dean mutters and looks ready to leave.

“Wait, there’s more”, Benny stops him.

“Our Elders made a deal with Castiel’s pack. They’re letting them stay here with us and they’re giving them some of our cabins. They gave yours to Castiel and one of his wolves. Michael wanted me to tell you that until we build new cabins, you’re going to be staying at the Alpha’s house with them.”

“Right… so, Cas doesn’t want me with him, then? I thought we were supposed to be mates. Aren’t mates expected to be living together?” Dean asks and he doesn’t realize that his eyes are starting to water.

“The Elders confronted him about it. He said you two never had sexual intercourse and therefore you are not mates. He specifically said that he doesn’t want to live with you”

“But he wants my cabin?”

“I don’t know why he requested that, but he asked that the television and all the other things remain at the place. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. Why would I? I’m getting ripped out of my house one more time, but why should I care? I’ll just go live with Chuck, who hates me, instead.”

“You can stay here, if you want”, Charlie interjects.

“Actually, Charlie, other wolves have been appointed to live with you. We all just need to be patient until the cabins are built. We’ll start right away, I promise… and Dean, we’ll need your help. You seem to be quite skilled with that sort of thing.”

“Okay, then. Can I at least go and take my clothes and personal stuff?” the human asks.

“Yes, I’ll go with you. You must be fast though, because they need the cabin right away.”

“Fine. Let’s go.”

 

~*~

 

Dean is in the middle of putting his clothes in bags to take them to Chuck’s house in the bedroom, when he hears voices coming from the living room.

“Wow, Clarence, you weren’t joking. This place is awesome. I’ve never been out of the woods. What is that? What does it do?” Dean hears a woman’s voice. Who the hell is Clarence?

“It’s a television, the one I was telling you about”, a voice responds that Dean immediately realizes belongs to Castiel.

“Castiel, Dean hasn’t packed his stuff yet. He’s still here. You might want to take a walk, if you don’t want to see him”, comes Benny’s voice.

“No, Clarence, I’m bored. I want to stay here”, the woman says again.

“We’re staying. Tell him to get it over with”, Castiel responds.

“And why don’t you tell me that yourself?” Dean asks as he opens the bedroom door. The moment his eyes meet Castiel’s form, he feels his heart beating faster. The boy has obviously grown and even though, he’s still a child, some of his features have changed from when he was younger. His face is not as round anymore and he’s grown a lot taller.

“I have no problem doing that. Pack your things and leave”, Cas says and his eyes hold none of the adoration they once held when he was looking at Dean.

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Cas asks irritated.

“I’m not leaving before I talk to you.”

“What do you want to talk to me about?”

“I want us to be alone.”

“Anything you want to say to me, you can say it in front of Meg. If you want Benny to leave, that’s your decision. I don’t care”, Cas says and Dean gives an annoyed look at the girl who’s sitting on the couch. She doesn’t look older than eighteen, but when it comes to wolves, Dean can never tell. When her eyes catch his, she starts grinning wickedly.

“Why? What are you so afraid of? You don’t want to spend even five minutes alone with me? The Cas I remember was clingy as hell and looked forward to any time we could spend alone together”, Dean tells him and he is satisfied to see that his words get a reaction from Cas.

“Leave us. Both of you”, the boy orders and Meg looks ready to complain, but one look from Castiel shuts her up and annoyed, she follows Benny outside.

“What the hell happened to you?” Dean asks the moment they’re alone.  
“Where the hell have you been?”

“Why? Did you miss your boyfriend?” Cas asks and the words and the look he gives Dean confuse the human.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve been lying to me”, Cas says, as his eyes start to water.

“What are you talking about, Cas?” Dean asks, getting closer.

“About who I am. Who you are. What I am to you.”

“Cas I didn’t know any of those things. I was just trying to protect you. I didn’t know if any of this was even real”, Dean explains.

“It doesn’t matter. You hid it from me. You chose him over me. You knew he was torturing me and you didn’t even try to protect me from him. You let him control my own body”, Cas cries and the first tears start rolling down his cheeks.

“Cas, I didn’t mean to. All I cared about was you. You have to believe me.”

“Is that why you were kissing him and you were always pushing me away?” the boy asks, looking hurt.

“Cas, the person you are referring to that lives inside of you is you. No one else. It’s just a part of you that you’re not yet connected to.”

“You knew he was controlling the wolf and you let him”, Cas accuses, pointing a finger in Dean’s face.

“I wanted to help you with that. I just never got the chance, because you left. Why did you leave Cas?”

“Because I finally got inside my own dreams and saw what you and he were up to. I confronted him and pushed him in the back of my mind. I’m the only one in charge now. I can finally shift whenever I please. Meg helped me do that. She’s the only one who cared to help me with that. Not you, her!”

“And what now? What is that Meg to you? What are you doing here with her? Why did you return, if you hate me so much?” the human asks.

“This is my home and I won’t let you drive me away from it. My friends needed a safe place to stay and I knew this was the only choice. As for Meg, it’s none of your business.”

“And what about your family? You ran away only because of me? How could you leave them for three damn years without letting them know that you’re alright?”

“I did what I had to do to stay away from you, because you hurt me. You never really cared about me, only yourself and you didn’t lose any time to prove that. The moment I was gone, you had everyone believe that you are their lost Alpha. The mythical first Alpha. The elders told me about everything. Everyone now trusts you, but I see you for what you really are; a fraud.”

“How can you say that, if you now have access to your dreams and saw everything? I’m not saying I am who they think I am, Cas, but I’m not lying about my dreams and you know it. And it wasn’t me the one who told everyone. It was the Elders’ decision. I only told your brother.”

“You told him what? That we are soulmates? So, you believe that you’re my soulmate, then?” Cas asks, getting closer to Dean, until he feels the heat that’s radiating from Dean’s body.

“I don’t know what to think, Cas; but after everything I saw, I don’t know if I can believe something different”, Dean whispers, as the boy looks up inside his eyes and places his hands on the human’s chest.

“Soulmates are supposed to be mates. Real mates; but you’ve done nothing but push me away. You never desired me and you still don’t. I’m only a child in your eyes. You only like the spirit inside of me. You don’t like me.”

“Cas, listen to me”, Dean says, placing both his hands on either side of Castiel’s face.  
“You are really important to me and you have no idea how much I’ve missed you, but I’m still not like you. I’m not a wolf to have the same values you do. To be okay with this and see it as something normal. You are seeing this as a rejection. This is how you always saw this. But I am still a human, despite everything we’ve learned about our past together, and I can’t ignore my values and my beliefs. I love you, but in my eyes and in the eyes of humanity you ARE still a child. The spirit you say you have inside of you, the one I kissed in my dream, is only a part of you and I can’t help but love it, but not more than I love you. It was just easier to kiss him in my dream, because he wasn’t little like you. I wish you were older, so I could kiss you instead, but you’re still so young. It would be inappropriate for me to act on my feelings, when you’re so young. Not inappropriate; it would be a crime. You’re still so innocent and you don’t get it, but you’re not in the right age for something like this. Please, stop punishing me for something that is out of my hands. I can’t do what you’re asking me to do. If you wait five more years, we can be together, the way you want us to be.”

“Five more years?” Cas asks angrily, knocking Dean’s hands off his face.  
“I can’t wait for five years. That is way too long. If you want me to forgive you and compromise, you must compromise too.”

“What do you want me to do?” Dean asks, looking helpless.

“I’ll be twelve in six weeks, which means I’m only two years away from becoming an adult in wolf years. I want you to promise me that on my fourteenth birthday you will mate with me”, Cas says, staring into Dean’s eyes.

“Cas, I don’t…”

“Do you love me? You said you love me. Are you in love with me?” the boy demands to know.

“Cas, I do love you, but I can’t… Look, all these years, I’ve struggled a lot with the idea that I have a soulmate that apparently I have spent my previous lives with and that that soulmate is a man just like me”, Dean says and Cas opens his mouth to say something, but Dean stops him.  
“I know what you’re going to say. You’re not just male, you’re an omega and rules are different for wolves than they are for humans, but things are not that simple for me. When I met ‘dream’ you, ‘older’ you, I struggled to admit that I was attracted to him, because he was a man and my whole life, I’ve only liked women. I’ve never thought of a man in a sexual way. The memories ‘dream’ you showed me, however, made me realize that it’s okay that I like him like that and it’s not a big deal. I mean there are humans of the same gender who like each other like that too and it never bothered me. I had just never seen myself in that position. The world is evolving. People are evolving and they are now accepting that kind of relationships. Because everyone has the right to love whoever they want. But what humans and I will never ever see differently is a man in love with a child. It is filthy, disgusting and wrong in every possible way. And I will never think any differently. So, yeah, Cas… I love you and I need to be near you, but I can’t be in love with you. Not until you’re older.”

“You’re not saying you’re not. You’re just saying you can’t be”, Cas says, before he leans into Dean, who hugs him tightly against his body.

“Forgive me. I’m not strong enough. I’ve missed you so much”, Dean says as tears are rolling down his cheeks.

“Promise me, Dean. When I’m fourteen, you’ll try. Promise me that you’ll try”, Cas says, inhaling Dean’s sweet scent.

“I promise. I’ll try”, Dean says and kisses the boy’s hair.

“I still want you to go”, Cas mutters on Dean’s chest after a moment.

“I understand”, the human says, wiping away tears with his hands.  
“Is that Meg just your friend?” he asks, when they let go of each other.

“She’s a beta and she wants us to be more, but for now we’re only friends”, Cas admits.

“And what do you want?”

“I want you, but I can’t have you; at least for now.”

“How old is that Meg anyway? Isn’t she a little old for you?”

“She’s fifteen”, Cas replies.

“What? I thought she was at least eighteen. She doesn’t look that young.”

“Life hasn’t been easy on her and she has spent most of her life out in the wild in her wolf form. She had no one to take care of her. She grew up alone and she wants to look more intimidating and older than she actually is.”

“And why is she calling you Clarence for?” the human asks and Cas smiles, remembering the nickname.

“Her mother used to live in the city. Her favorite movie was one with an angel in it. His name was Clarence. Castiel is the name of an angel. The angel of Thursday. That’s why Meg is calling me Clarence. Meg always dreamed of being reunited with the rest of the world and the civilization, because of all the things her mother had told her, but she never got the chance. After her mom died, she was too afraid to face people or find a new pack, until I found her. And now she’s excited with everything she sees around her. That’s why I asked for this cabin. I wanted her to watch TV, a movie to see what her mother was talking about.”

“I didn’t know Castiel is an angel’s name.”

“Well it is... I think you should finish packing your stuff. I’ll see you around, Dean”, Castiel says and before Dean can say anything else, the boy opens the front door and leaves.


	15. Birthday

_…TWO WEEKS LATER…_

“Hey, what’s on your mind? You’ve been staring at that nail for ten minutes now. If we don’t speed things up, we’ll never have the cabins ready, which means more quality time for you and Chuck”, comes Benny’s amused voice from behind Dean. For the last two weeks they’ve been building cabins nonstop, trying to get them ready for Castiel’s birthday to give them to their newest members of the pack as a gift for Castiel. The Elders decided that they should have an initiation ceremony for them at the night of the omega’s twelfth birthday and they wanted this gift to be the last step.

“I was just thinking what I should get Cas for his birthday”, Dean says and looks troubled.

“Sex!” the alpha behind him says and starts laughing.

“It’s not funny, Benny. Stop saying those sick jokes to me”, Dean retorts, irritated.

“I’m just saying, brother. A wolf’s blood at that age is boiling. I remember how I was at that age. The only thing I could think of was finding a mate. When you have already presented and for so long, like Cas has, it’s hard to think of anything else. And for Cas it must be way harder now that he has met his mate not to be able to have him; I mean you”. Benny concludes and sits next to Dean on the newly made floor.

“Don’t you think I know that? But I can’t do that, so I must find something else”, Dean says and looks towards his old cabin, where Meg is sitting on the front steps with two other girls. Benny sees where his gaze has traveled.

“It’s bothering you that he lives with that girl, isn’t it? You’re jealous”, he observes.

“I’m not jealous…” Dean starts to say and Benny raises an eyebrow at him.  
“Okay, I am, but not for the reason you think. I mean, I don’t see Cas in that way yet, but I can’t help but remember the man he will become and the future that we’re supposed to have together and it’s hard seeing him with someone else.”

“But he’s not with anyone. She’s just his friend, with whom he happens to be sharing your cabin.”

“I know that, but I also know that she has feelings for him and what if Cas reciprocates? And what about all the hormone stuff you were telling me about just now?”

“You’re afraid that he’s going to have sex with her, because he’ll get sick of waiting for you to bang him?”

“I… kinda. What if he does? And I’m not talking about now that he’s only twelve, even though that’s old enough for wolves apparently; I’m talking a year, a couple of years, when even I wanted desperately to have sex at that age.”

“But you told me that you promised him that you would try when he’s fourteen. So where’s the problem? In a couple of years you’ll be banging him yourself”, Benny reasons.  
“Won’t you?”

“I only said that because I didn’t want to disappoint him again”, Dean admits and buries his face between his knees.

“Look, Dean. I know you’re trying to do right by the kid, but he’s growing up and fast. I know that the ideal thing for you is for him to reach eighteen, but you need to be realistic here. It’s going to happen way sooner than that. Years sooner than that actually and you need to ease yourself into the situation. You obviously can’t have sex with him on the first try, but until you’re able to see yourself with him like that, you need to take baby steps.”

“Meaning?”

“You two used to sleep together and now you’re not anymore. You barely even see him during the day, ever since he came back.”

“Oh, please. Don’t let me even get started on that one. He’s the one who said he didn’t want me there. I had every intention of staying with him. Even sleeping in the same bed”, Dean argues.

“Yes, exactly. You had every intention of sleeping in the same bed as him. And I repeat, SLEEPING. Don’t you get how much harder it is for him to control himself around you now that he’s older? When he was eight, he wasn’t so hormonal and still he was clinging to you in his sleep. Now that he is and he has a better understanding of things and he realizes that you don’t want to have sex with him, how do you think he feels? He doesn’t trust himself not to jump you in your sleep. He wants more, Dean, and it would be torture for him to be in that situation all the time, where he has you always there, but he’s not able to touch you.”

“So what you’re saying is that the only reason he pushed me away is because he wants me too much and that I shouldn’t be worried about him and Meg?” Dean asks.

“Oh God NO! You SHOULD be worried”, Benny says and Dean looks at him speechless.  
“I know what I said earlier. Cas loves you too much and I’m sure you’re the one he’s going to end up with eventually, but the kid also has needs. You add that feisty beta chick to the equation and boom.”

“Boom? Are you kidding me? Is that supposed to be reassuring?” Dean yells at him.

“Calm down, brother”, Benny says and holds him by the shoulders, giving looks to those who have stopped working and are watching them.  
“You don’t have to be, if you play your cards right. As I was saying, before you interrupted me, you need to take baby steps. You never sleep with him anymore. In fact you do nothing with him anymore. His world used to revolve around you. You could try and convince him to share your bed a night every week. A little snuggling time never fails. A night won’t be as hard for him as every day. You should initiate more body contact in your relationship; a caress here and there. A kiss on the lips every once in a while. Something to keep him satisfied for a little while, before he starts wanting more.”

“But aren’t all of those things going to make him want more?”

“He already wants more and if you’re not willing to give even those simple things to him, he’s going to find them elsewhere”, Benny says and his eyes travel to Meg. Dean sighs deeply, getting his message loud and clear.

“But kissing, Benny? I don’t know if I can do that”, the human complains.

“Would you rather him being kissed at this age or would you prefer him having sex? Because that’s what’s going to happen, if he and Meg get the show on the road.”

“But I can’t kiss a kid like that.”

“I’m not telling you to make out with him, Dean. I’m telling you to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. Fathers and mothers do it on their babies’ mouths all of the time and they’re related and it’s also not sanitary, because they’re babies. It’s just an act of affection, which Cas desperately needs from you.”

“Oh, God, I’m going to hell”, Dean cries and buries his face again in his hands.

“What I can’t wrap my head around is how you’re going without sex for four years now. You’re a grown man and even though you’re just human and you don’t have to worry about ruts and heats, you still should be struggling.”

“Trust me when I say this; I’ve never appreciated more the privacy that a shower provides and now that I’m in Chuck’s house, I can’t even do that.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t feel comfortable, okay?”

“Why? Relief is something we all need. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Oh, wait a minute. I know what this is about. You feel guilty, because it’s Cas you’re picturing, when you’re doing the deed. Older dreamy Cas probably.”

“I can’t get him out of my head. I’ve missed seeing him. Every time I dream about him, I wake up with a boner and he’s just a memory. I wish that I could see him, talk to him like I used to; but Cas doesn’t let that part of himself resurface. He tried hard to bury it deep inside him and be in full control. And I know it was the best thing for him, but I can’t help but miss him.”

“If you wait a few more years you will see him live and in the flesh. Real Cas is the only one you should be worried about, if you want to keep Meg’s hands off of him.”

“Yeah, I know…” Dean says and exhales dramatically.

“Come on. Let’s get back to work”, Benny instructs, getting up.

 

~*~

_…FOUR WEEKS LATER…_

Dean stands on the doorstep of his old cabin, the one Cas and Meg currently occupy. He’s nervous as hell and his hand trembles before he is finally able to knock on the door. Today is Castiel’s birthday and it’s his last chance to show him how he really feels about him, before it’s too late and Meg gets her way. Dean doesn’t like these living arrangements one bit.

After three knocks, the door is opened slowly by Meg, who is wearing nothing more than one of the T-shirts Dean remembers Cas’ brothers bought for him, because he had outgrown his old clothes, and a pair of sort shorts.  
“Can I help you?” the girl asks in a tone that irritates Dean. She’s still standing in the doorway, not allowing him inside.

“Yeah, actually, I wanted to see Cas”, Dean says, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Birthday boy is taking a shower, so you’ll have to come back later”, she says and she starts closing the door in Dean’s face, before the human puts his foot in the way and pushes the door open with his hand.

“I don’t mind waiting in the living room. There’s work I have to finish for tonight and I won’t be able to come back later. I need to see him now.”

“Whatever”, Meg says and steps aside.

As Dean steps inside the living room, he sees no signs of anyone having slept on the couch.  
“I don't see any blankets or any pillows on the couch. You must have been up for a while”, he comments.

“What do you mean? Oh... No one sleeps on the couch. We both sleep in the bed", Meg informs him like it’s not a big deal.

“Right”, Dean mutters and sits stiffly on the couch. After he lets a sigh escape his lips, he starts talking again.  
“So, you must be excited about tonight. You’re going to become a real member of the pack.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s cool, but what’s more exciting is the gift I’m planning to give Cas tonight for his birthday”, Meg says and grins, making Dean feel uncomfortable.

“What kind of a gift?” he asks her without hiding his irritation.

“A personal one. A surprise. I can’t tell you what it is”, she answers.

“You do know that Cas is my mate, right? Or at least that he’s going to be in a couple of years?”

“All I know is that you’re only a human, despite what everyone says about myths and fairytales, and that you’re lacking the equipment for Clarence’s needs”, Meg says and smirks.

“And I suppose you have that equipment?”

“No, but I at least am a real wolf and I don’t have any stupid guilty thoughts holding me back.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Dean asks.

“What do you think it means? I feel sorry for you, because it’s not even a real challenge. You’re making this so easy”, Meg says, but before Dean can respond, Cas enters the room.

“Dean… hey. I didn’t know you were here”, Cas says, looking even cuter than Dean remembered.

“Can we take a walk? I need to talk to you about something”, Dean says, standing up from the couch.

“Uhm… sure. Let’s go”, the boy replies and after a moment they both leave the cabin.

After walking for thirty minutes inside the forest and after they have reached a nice opening beside the river, Dean sits down on the ground, motioning for Cas to join him.  
“So, what’s up?” Cas asks, staring at the water.

Dean struggles to find the words to say what he wants.  
“Tonight is a big and important day for you. Only once one turns twelve…”

“I guess…?” Cas says confused in the form of an almost question.

“So, I’ve been thinking what you might like for your birthday and it was really hard to come up with anything given the freedom I have here, but I think that I may have found a solution for my present.”

“And what is that exactly?”

“We haven’t spent a lot of time together lately. I’ve barely seen you after that first day that we talked and I wanted at least for today to be able to spend a little more time with you.”

“So, you brought me here? Don’t you have work to go to?” the boy asks, still looking confused.

“No, Cas. That’s not my present. I found a tent and I was wondering, if you’d be willing to go camping with me tonight, here by the river, away from everyone. We can stay up and talk or sleep or whatever you want. I just want to spend the night with you. I’ve missed you.”

“Meg told me she had plans for tonight. It wouldn’t be right to blow her off.”

“Oh, I see… It’s okay. It’s no big deal. We can do this another night”, Dean says and his face falls, while he picks a stone and throws it in the river.

“Or I could reschedule with Meg? You obviously want to do this tonight and I’ve missed you too”, Cas says hesitantly.

“You’d do that?” Dean asks, his eyes shining with hope.

“Of course. I’d do anything for you. In two years you’re going to be my mate after all, like you promised me and we’re gonna have pups”, Cas says and smiles at him a smile of pure happiness that makes Dean feel even guiltier. A guilt which he quickly tries to hide.

“Come here, baby. I want to hug you”, the human says and Cas crawls on his lap and in his arms, getting comfortable there.

Dean caresses the boy’s face and hair, while he holds him.  
“I’m sorry, Cas. I know that this whole thing is hard for you and I don’t mean to be so distant all the time. You know I love you”, he says and leans his forehead on Castiel’s.

“I know. I love you too”, the boy says and wraps his arms around Dean’s neck, burying his face in Dean’s perfect scent.  
“I’m sorry about the other day. For all this time we’ve spent apart, actually. I know that my reaction was really childish and that I hurt you and my family by leaving for so long, but I really needed to find myself. And I know that I’m still acting like a child all the time, even though, I’m always trying to convince you that I’m not. You’ve been really patient with me and I know that you’ve sacrificed a lot for me.”

“Cas, all I’m asking is that you are a little more patient yourself. I won’t be this distant forever. I wouldn’t be able to do that, even if I wanted to, which I don’t. I love you too much. So, please, remember that”, Dean says and inhales one last breath of pure Cas, before he lets go off him.  
“We should probably head back. I can’t wait for tonight.”

“Me neither”, Cas agrees and gives him a quick peck on the lips and then stands up.  
“I’ll see you tonight”, is the last thing he says before he walks away. Dean is left touching his lips with his fingertips.

__

~*~

_**  
** _

The night goes by faster than Dean ever anticipated and before he knows it he’s lying inside the tent with Cas by his side.  
“Tonight was beautiful. Did you like your birthday?” he asks, looking inside Cas’ blue eyes.

“Yes. It was perfect. I’m happy that my friends finally have a home, a pack that can protect them”, Cas says happily, staring at Dean.

“You’re so brave, Cas. You left all alone and still you managed to find all those lone wolves and took them under your protection. You made them a group. A family. I’m proud of you.”

“Meg helped me. She was the first I found and she was the one who knew about the others. So, I asked her to help me find them and bring them together under the protection of our pack. It’s part of why I didn’t come sooner. I had to find everyone and convince them to join us.”

“You did the right thing, my angel”, Dean says, as he starts caressing the boy’s hair. He seems to be hesitating to say what he’s thinking.

“What’s wrong?” Cas asks, sensing his hesitation.

“Look, Cas, I kinda promised myself that tonight I would try to be more for you and what I have in my mind is a big step for me that I won’t be able to take back tomorrow”, Dean explains.

“What do you mean?” the boy asks.

Dean stares for a whole minute inside Cas’ blue eyes before his eyes drift momentarily on his lips and then again back up to his eyes and he responds.  
“I want to try something… I want to kiss you. If, of course, that’s alright with you”, he says and sees the surprise in the boy’s eyes the moment the words roll off his tongue.

“Okay…” is the only thing Cas manages to utter, while looking stunned.

“Okay then. Here it goes…” Dean whispers, before he leans forward with closed eyes and captures Cas’ lips with his own. For a few seconds, he doesn’t move, but just lets his lips be in touch with Castiel’s, without deepening the kiss or pulling back. He just lets the sensation imprint on his mind and then after a few more seconds he ends the kiss, pulling back and finally opening his eyes, only to see the adoration returning into Castiel’s eyes.

“That was my first real kiss”, Cas whispers, staring into Dean’s eyes. His own blue ones are sparkling with happiness.

“I’m glad you shared it with me”, Dean says truthfully, caressing Cas’ face.

“I want to share all my kisses with you and only you.”

“I want that too”, Dean admits and lets Cas crawl into his arms, hugging him tightly close to his body.  
“Goodnight, baby”, he mutters, when they get comfortable.

“Goodnight, Dean. I love you”, Cas whispers on his chest and sleep soon takes over.


	16. Secrets Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you had a wonderful Halloween, everyone! Please enjoy! XOXO

_The night is too cold and the fire is barely burning in the fireplace. Dean stands from the rocking chair and puts the baby inside the crib._

_“Nick, honey, watch your sister, while I go out to get some more firewood, okay?” he says to his son, who’s currently sitting on the floor, playing with his wooden soldiers._

_“Okay, dad”, the boy says and immediately goes to stand by the crib, in which his sister lays._

_Dean smiles affectionately at the picture his kids make._  
_“Don’t make too much noise, okay? Your mommy is resting.”_

_“I know, dad”, Nick responds, before he goes back to watching his little sister._

_It doesn’t take long for Dean to gather enough wood for the fire and half an hour later, he enters the cabin, wiping carefully the snow from his coat._

_“Is everything alright, Nicky?” he asks, without turning to look at his son, but instead hangs his coat on the hook by the door._

_“Yeah, dad”, the boy answers, but when Dean turns to look at him, his eyes grow wide, when he sees his father sitting on a chair at the table, staring at his two kids._

_“Dad?” he asks and John immediately turns to look at him. His son, Nick, however, doesn’t seem to be noticing the exchange, but keeps looking at his sister._

_“Hello, Dean”, his father says, acknowledging him for the first time since these dreams started happening. In every dream it seemed like he was trying to communicate with Dean, but he was never able to really do it._

_“You can hear me? You can talk?” Dean asks frantically._

_“Yes, I can. Dean, I need to find you. Tell me where you are. I can’t find you”, John replies, standing up from his seat and looks worried._

_“How can this be? Is this real? Is it really you? Or is this just a dream?” Dean keeps asking, getting closer to his father._

_“Dean, listen to me. This isn’t just a dream. I’ve been looking everywhere to find you. The police is looking everywhere for you. Where are you, son? Please, you have to tell me. Your mother is so worried, she can’t even sleep. Where are you?”_

_“I’m sorry, dad. I can’t tell you that. Tell mom I’m okay. I’m more than okay, I’m great. I’ll try to communicate with you soon, but please, don’t ask me where I am. I don’t know and even if I did, I can’t tell you. It’s not safe for you to know.”_

_“But, son…” John starts to say, but before he has the chance to finish, he disappears right in front of Dean’s eyes, like the connection just broke._

_“Dad?” Nick says, like he’s been trying to get Dean’s attention for a while._  
_“Won’t you put more logs in the fire?” he asks._

_“Yes, Nicky. I will”, he mutters, still staring at the place where his father used to stand only moments ago._

 

The birds are the first thing he hears, when he wakes up and for a moment he doesn’t remember where he is, but as soon as he opens his eyes, his mind fills with memories of last night.

Last night he shared his first real kiss with Cas, which was also Castiel’s first kiss in general. He was glad to know that Meg didn’t beat him to it. As he watches Cas still sleeping soundly in his arms, for the first time in years, he feels whole again.

“Thank you, God”, he whispers, before he lands a kiss on the boy’s hair. The kiss, however, causes the boy to stir and soon Dean is staring into two sleepy blue eyes.

“’Morning…” Cas mutters after a moment.

“Good morning, baby”, Dean says and smiles at him.  
“Did you sleep okay?” he asks.

“Yes, I did. Thank you for this. Last night was the best night of my life.”

“You liked your birthday?” Dean asks, as he starts stroking Cas’ hair and the side of his face.

“I did, but that’s not what I was talking about. I was talking about our kiss. It made me really happy”, Cas confesses, staring into Dean’s eyes.

“It made me happy as well”, Dean says and smiles again.

“So, you didn’t regret it?” Cas asks and looks like that is exactly what he was expecting to happen.

“No, I don’t regret anything. I’m glad I found the courage to do what I did and even though I thought that I would start feeling ashamed for my actions, I really don’t. Actually, I feel relieved.”

“Thank you”, is the only thing that Cas says, before he buries his face in Dean’s chest, hugging him tightly. The human soon hears some soft sobs coming from the boy.

“It’s okay, Cas. You don’t have to thank me for anything. I know this is hard for you.”

“I should never have left. I should know that you really love me and that you would never do anything to hurt me. I should never have listened to that man. I shouldn’t have let him scare me away”, Cas says and continues crying, buried in Dean’s chest. Dean’s eyes widen at the boy’s declaration.

“Cas, what are you talking about? What man?” the human asks and tries to make Cas look at him.

“The man from my dreams…” Cas says hesitantly.

“Your dreams? When was this? Who was this man and what did he tell you? Is this still happening?”

“No, it’s not. I had my first dream the day I left. A man in a black suit and a red flower on his lapel appeared out of nowhere in one of my dreams. I remember being confused that he was there. In my dream I was outside playing with Kevin and Sammy, when Sammy changed into his wolf form and ran away into the forest. Soon after, Kevin followed his example and he left me too. I knew that I couldn’t turn like them, so I was left alone staring after them, when the man appeared and talked to me.”

“What did he say to you?” Dean asks seriously. He has had too many memory-dreams lately, not to mention the one with his father only moments ago, to think of this as something normal.

Cas sniffles, before he looks at Dean and continues with his story.  
“He said he knew how hard it was for me not being able to turn like my friends and be a real wolf. He told me that he knew how to help me. I was thrilled when I heard it and wanted it so badly to be true, so I asked him how. He told me that he had to show me something first and that’s when he took me in one of my other dreams. I mean that’s what he said he did; but, although everything looked kind of familiar, I didn’t remember the dream. It was like a blurry memory of something. That’s when I saw a light brown wolf standing at the edge of a cliff and then another wolf with black fur approaching him.”

“My first memory-dream”, Dean realizes and Cas looks away for a second.

“Yes. It turned out to be you and the black wolf turned out to be me. An older and wiser me that had nothing to do with the boy I was at the time. I heard your whole conversation and then the man took me to another dream. The one you kissed him. I mean me, but it wasn’t really me; and then to several more dreams like that. He told me how recent those dreams were and I realized that it was all happening during the time you were ignoring me, even though we were living together. I was upset and the man told me that I was right to be upset and that I had to get rid of the spirit inside of me that was stealing the wolf from me and your affections. He told me that the spirit only wanted to replace me and that you only cared about him and if I wanted to have you, I would have to get rid of the spirit. He told me that he could help me kill it. I didn’t know what to do. I was afraid and I ran away from the man, but he kept finding me. I was hurt from what I had seen, but the man was even scarier and I had to get away, but he was always finding me”, Cas says and starts hyperventilating.

“It’s okay, Cas, take a deep breath. You’re safe now. No one is going to hurt you. I’ve got you”, Dean tells the boy in an attempt to relax him, while he’s holding him by his shoulder.

“When I woke up, I was terrified. You were still there, sleeping beside me and all I could see was you kissing the older version of myself from my dream, the one that was supposed to be me from another life. The one who wasn’t letting me control my wolf side. I didn’t want to be there. I had to leave. I had to run. So, I did. I left. I ran, until my feet couldn’t stand the pain and I stopped to take a breather. Moments later I heard a sound. I felt like there was someone watching me and I became terrified again.”

“Who was it?”

“It was Meg. She found me and she took care of me. I told her that I had to get away and hide and she helped me do that. If it wasn’t for her, I would never have made it and you would have found me right away and it wasn’t something that I wanted then. She took me to a cave. It was her home. She helped me rest and she gave me food. She’s an awesome hunter. I told her my story and she said that she could help me take control of my body again, but I had to do something in return.”

“What did she ask you to do?” Dean asks and tries to keep his voice calm. He looks pissed, though.

“She told me that I had to help her build a pack and that’s when she told me about the others. The lone wolves.”

“You told me that it was your idea to bring them together.”

“I know. I didn’t know yet, whether I wanted to tell you everything about Meg and everything else that happened; but now I know I can trust you. Right?” Cas asks and stares into Dean’s eyes, who leans his forehead on his, before he answers.

“Of course, Cas. You can always trust me. Never doubt that, whatever other people might tell you. Whether they come in your dreams or they’re alive. You must always know that I love you and I care about you. I would never do anything to hurt you. I would die first. You believe me, don’t you?” Dean says, still leaning on the boy’s forehead.

“I do… I’m so sorry that I left and I put you through all this. I should never have doubted you.”

“All that matters is that we’re together again and this time no one will break us up. Promise me that you’ll never believe anyone but me, when it comes to how I feel about you. I’m the only one who can tell you the truth about my feelings, Cas and the truth is that I love you.”

“I promise. I love you too”, Cas says and snuggles again into Dean. The human waits for a moment, while holding the boy tightly, to let Cas feel more comfortable and safe before he speaks again.

“Has that man appeared in any of your other dreams?”

“I saw him again in a couple more during the first month I was away. He was trying again to convince me that I should let him kill the spirit.”

“How did you get rid of him?”

“I didn’t. Meg did. She’s the one who helped me. She gave me an herb to help keep my dreams safe from intruders.”

“What kind of an herb can do that?”

“She told me that it’s called “the Angelica root” or “the root of the Holy Ghost”. She said that it blooms naturally on the day of Michael the Archangel and it’s a preservative against evil spirits and witchcrafts of spells of all kinds. She didn’t know what was doing that to me. What this man was and if he was using witchcraft to do it, but she said that we had nothing to lose, if we tried. After I started taking it, I never saw him again in any of my dreams. I don’t know if he stopped or if the herb worked. I’m just glad it stopped. I’ve been drinking it ever since, though, ‘cause I’m afraid that if I stop, the dreams will start again.”

“And how did Meg know about this plant, exactly?” Dean asks. It’s obvious in his voice that he doesn’t trust her at all.

“From her mother. She was a healer in her pack and she knew all kinds of healing potions and other stuff, some of which she taught Meg.”

“Cas, can I ask you something? Why are you and Meg sleeping in the same bed?”

Cas avoids to look at him, when he answers.  
“Because I’m scared. Every night, I’m terrified that he’s going to return and I don’t want to have to face him alone. Meg has helped me keep him away for a long time. I trust her with this.”

“And don’t you trust that I can protect you the same, now that I know or even better?” Dean asks, feeling a little hurt.

“It has nothing to do with trust. I do trust you, but you are only a human and you can only do so much. I don’t want to burden you with this. Meg belongs like I do to the supernatural and knows things about the paranormal. She’s a fighter and she has never failed me.”

“So, you think I have failed you? Or is there more to this?” Dean asks, closing his eyes momentarily.

“No, I don’t think you have failed me. I know you can protect me. I’ve never felt safer than tonight, but your humanity fails you every day. You’re not strong enough, even though your past suggests otherwise; I’m scared that if you try to protect me again, you might get hurt. It has happened in the past. You almost died trying to protect me. There is, however, one more reason why I don’t want to spend my nights with you. For a while at least. My hormones don’t allow me to be near you so much. I can’t take it. I want you to be my mate already. So, until that happens, I mustn’t rely on you so much. I have to stay with Meg, whom I trust to protect me.”

“Don’t I get a say in this? What if I don’t trust her?”

“I’m afraid you have to accept it. Unless you’re willing to take the next step in our relationship and really be with me. A bond like that will certainly strengthen you, even if you’re not a wolf.”

“You know I can’t do that, Cas. Not yet”, Dean tells him sadly.

“I know and I have accepted it. I understand and I trust you. Are you willing to do the same?” Cas asks, caressing Dean’s face with his hand.

“Yeah, okay, I understand; but I still don’t like it. I don’t like being away from you. I don’t like that you’re living with her.”

“What do you want me to do?” Cas asks and looks sad.

“I want you to compromise, the same way you asked me. I want you to spend two nights of every week with me and you can spend the rest with Meg. If I never see you, I’ll go insane.”

“Okay. I can do that. Thank you for understanding”, Cas says and hugs Dean again.

“It’s okay, baby. You don’t need to worry about anything”, Dean replies and kisses the boy’s hair tenderly.

 

~*~

 

“John, are you okay?” Mary asks, looking worriedly at her husband, as he tries to calm his breathing.

“I saw him, Mary. I saw him. I saw our son. I talked to him. It worked. The hypnosis worked.”

“What did he say to you? Is he okay?” Mary asks nervously.

“He said he’s fine, but he’s in trouble, Mary.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“He’s too far into the dreams and he also doesn’t want to tell me where he is, which can only mean one thing”, John says, while staring into his wife’s eyes that are staring back to him in horror.

“He found a pack…” Mary mutters, frozen on her spot on the couch.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. I should know. I should have figured it out sooner. That was not an ordinary robbery and Dean would never leave us on his own like that, without warning us first and without ever contacting us again.”

“Do you think he knows about who he is? What he is? Could those who have him know what he is?” Mary asks, as she watches her husband pacing the room nervously.

“I don’t know. If they do, it’s probably why they took him.”

“Perhaps, if we hypnotize you again and you talk to him, he’ll tell you about the people he’s with.”

“I don’t know. He’s in deep, Mary. He’s too far gone to trust that only a few conversations through the hypnosis will work. That is if we manage to get it to work again. I’m afraid that’s not going to be enough”, John says, staring into Mary’s eyes.

“What are you saying, John?” she asks terrified.

“I must break the seal and let the beast free.”

“John, this is too risky. After all these years, you might not be able to control it. What if you lose your mind? What if you go rogue?”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take, if it means saving my son. We made a choice, Mary. We decided that we didn’t want that kind of life for our children. It’s a curse that I carried long enough to know that I don’t want my sons to go through it. And you know what’s at stake especially when it comes to Dean. There’s no way we can risk that happening.”

“What about Sam? What am I supposed to tell him?”

“Tell him that I have business I need to take care of and that I’ll be back soon. He can’t know that this has to do anything with Dean. He can’t know the truth. Don’t tell him that the hypnosis worked.”

“But…”

“He’ll be fine, Mary. He has Jessica. He’s going to be okay. Are you willing to ruin all this by telling him the truth? He may have taken all the hunter and monster stuff well, but how sure are you that he’ll be okay with being one himself? We don’t know how he’s going to react. We need to keep this a secret. Promise me that you won’t say anything. Promise me, Mary”, John says in a stern voice and Mary reluctantly agrees, nodding her head.

“I promise”, she says and a tear rolls down her cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. Sammy is Samandriel, in case you got confused! :D


	17. Gone Wild

_…FIVE WEEKS LATER…_

Dean opens his eyes and sees Cas sleeping soundly next to him. It has become sort of a routine for them, but not in the negative aspect of the word, to sleep two times a week together and Dean can’t hide the fact that as much as he used to dread that, when he had first come here, now he’s always looking forward to it. The nightmares and the memories of the past have become persistent lately and Cas helps him deal with them. When he’s near the boy, everything dissipates.

It seems a bit early. The sun hasn’t risen yet and the human is confused as to why he woke up already, since he was so tired last night, but then he hears people shouting and jumps out of bed. He spares one last glance at Cas, who seems to be still asleep, before he puts on a pair of jeans and then runs out of the room.

On his way out, he stumbles across Gabriel, who also seems in a hurry to see what’s wrong.  
“What’s the matter? What’s all this shouting?” Dean asks, as he follows the werewolf outside.

“I’m not sure, but I think there’s an intruder among us”, Gabriel answers and seems worried.

“What? An intruder? Like a person? Or is it another wolf?” Dean asks again, staring at Gabriel with wide eyes.

“I have a feeling that it might be a rogue. Everyone acts very panicked”, the werewolf says, before he opens the front door of the Alpha’s house and they’re both outside. And that’s when Dean sees him. In the middle of the camp, surrounded by most of the male werewolves of the pack, who are circling him aggressively, stands a grey huge wolf. His eyes are red and look crazy and there’s saliva running out of his mouth, like he is suffering from rabies. When it comes to rogue wolves, rabies is as a good enough description as any. They have all told him what being rogue is like and his dreams have helped him understand it even better. There’s no doubt that this wolf is a rogue. His mind is all gone. All this wolf can think of is violence. He has completely forgotten what and who he really is.

Dean can’t help but stare at the animal. Gabriel has long gone to join the others, changing in his wolf form, but all Dean can do is stand frozen on the porch, watching mesmerized the scene in front of him, until the rogue wolf turns his gaze on him and Dean forgets how to breathe.

All the others that up until a moment ago seemed ready to attack him, suddenly relax their posture and they exchange confused looks and that’s when Gabriel shifts back to his human form. Dean never stops staring at the wolf and the wolf staring back at him.

“He’s coming to his senses. Everyone step back”, Gabriel orders all the others, who do as they’re told. The wolf closes his eyes and his mouth, hiding his lethal teeth for the first time. His posture changes completely and he doesn’t look like he’s about to attack anymore. Instead he makes a sad noise before he opens his eyes again that now have a normal color and then walks forward. Before Dean knows what’s happening, all the wolves are opening a path for the wolf that was a rogue only a moment ago and now the wolf is heading towards him. When he reaches Dean, the wolf stops, just in front of the steps that are the only thing separating the two of them and glances one last time at Dean, making that sad noise again and passes out. When he does, his body changes into a man’s right before Dean’s eyes and the human gasps.

“Dad?” he mutters, shocked.

 

~*~

 

_…FIVE DAYS LATER…_

“I don’t understand. How is this possible? This can’t be possible. I ran the blood test five times and there’s no indication that Dean has any wolf genes in his. The blood test should be able to clear this out. Humans don’t have the same blood as werewolves”, Charlie says as she steps nervously around the room. Dean sits frozen on the chair next to her desk. He hasn’t uttered one word ever since he saw the wolf turning into his father.

“Then we must have missed something. His father bares the mark of the First Alpha on his chest, which means he was born a wolf and not bitten. Therefore, Dean should be a wolf himself or at least half a wolf, if his mother is indeed a human”, Michael yells, losing his temper, to no one in particular.

“What are you talking about? What mark?” Charlie asks, taken aback by Michael’s words. She’s barely seen Dean’s father, as she was immediately put in charge of Dean’s blood tests. After she set up all the equipment for his care in Missouri’s cabin, she hasn't gone back, since John hasn’t woken up yet. Missouri decided it was best to leave him at her care.

“He bares the ‘W’ on his chest, like the elders and Father say Henry also did.

“A ‘W’?” Charlie asks. Dean still doesn’t react.

“Yes. It’s the mark of the First Alpha. Which would make sense, considering Dean’s visions. It’s more proof that Dean is the one the myths talk about. They say that all the descendants have it. It’s also half of the royal crest, the ‘WN’. We always believed that the letters stand for the two families’ initials. The ‘W’ is above the Alpha wolf and the ‘N’ above the Omega one. One light and one dark. The two soulmates. We just never knew what the names were”, Michael explains, while Charlie stares at him disbelievingly.

“You think the ‘W’ stands for ‘Winchester’, don’t you?”

“It’s as good a guess as any. It all adds up. But Dean should have the mark too. It doesn’t skip generations”, the alpha says mostly to himself, confused.

Charlie spares one glance at Dean before she speaks,  
“Dean does have the mark. He told me about it. It’s just hidden under his tattoo.”

Michael stares at Dean, when Charlie says that. Dean still looks like he’s not in the room with them. His mind is absent and his gaze completely blank.  
“The pentagram with the flames?” he asks, already remembering Dean’s tattoo from the first days of his capturing, when he was lying broken on the bed in one of Charlie’s rooms.

“Yes. He told me both he and his brother had this birthmark. He drew it for me and I told him that it looked like a ‘W’. He told me that on his fourteenth birthday, his father had him get that tattoo. His brother too, when he turned fourteen”, Charlie explained.

“What’s the significance of this tattoo? Why did he make them both get it on their fourteenth birthday? Did he explain that to you?”

“He told me that his father had the same tattoo. That he had gotten it when he was a soldier. His parents own various theological books of different religions or whatever and they told him that they found it in one of them and that it was a protective sigil. Dean just wanted to be like his dad, so he did it.”

“His father doesn’t have a single tattoo on his body”, Michael says, matter of factly, staring at Charlie.

“You think…?” Charlie mutters.

“We know for a fact that his mother comes from a family of hunters, even though we have no proof of her involvement. It would make sense that she has books about the supernatural. Maybe this sigil has something to do with him being half wolf. Why else would they make both their kids have tattoos at such an early age, even if they believe in such things as divine protection? No parent would want their kid to have a tattoo. And besides why would they be so afraid that their children would need protection if they were mere humans?”

“You’re right. The age is also significant. Fourteen is the age of a wolf’s adultness. It can’t be random that they both got their tattoos at that age. Maybe it’s what keeps the wolf at bay”, she says and Michael nods agreeing.

“It has to be magic. It hides Dean’s wolf nature. That’s why it doesn’t show in his blood. You told me that in his dream’s Dean’s father was searching for him and that he reached out to him. If he did indeed have a tattoo himself, perhaps he removed it and let the wolf free to search for Dean. It would explain why he suddenly went rogue, when he was just a normal human all the time that we’ve known about him. He had been suppressing his wolf for too long and when he let it free the animal took all control in the most violent way. It led him to Dean”, Michael concludes and before Charlie can say anything to that, Dean stands up, abruptly.

“I’d like to see my father now”, he says, without any apparent emotion on his face. Both Charlie and Michael stare at him. They have all been waiting for his reaction, but he hadn’t said anything for all the days his father had been in the camp or even attempted to see him. Not even Cas was able to get a reaction out of him.

“I’ll take you to him”, Michael says simply and then leaves the room.

 

~*~

 

Dean has been sitting for an hour next to his father’s bed, staring at him, while John is cuffed to the bed for his own protection and for the others’. No one knows what he’s going to be like, when he wakes up. Even though he’s in his human form now, it’s very possible that he might go crazy again when he gains his consciousness. He’s naked under the covers and there are tubes attached to his arms. The heart monitor next to him is the only thing that makes a sound inside the room.

As if John finally feels his son’s presence, he starts moving a little and two minutes later he opens his eyes. They seem unfocused at first, but when his eyes fall on Dean, he breathes in relief; a feeling that very quickly turns to confusion and then anger, when he tries to reach his son and he realizes that he can’t, because he is restricted.

“What is this?” he yells, looking disoriented at his handcuffed arms and the rest of the equipment.

“Relax, dad. It’s for your own safety”, Dean says with no emotion in his voice. All the revelations of the past few days seem to have drained all his energy.

“What are you talking about? Where are we? What is this place?” John yells again, a little panicked this time. He’s never been a fan of confinement and he’s always hated small spaces. His worst fear is to be buried alive. His skin itches even thinking about it. His wolf is too wild and always demands to be free. It’s one of the reasons he’s never really been able to control him. Even if he hasn’t shifted, until recently, for years, this definitely isn’t the first time he went rogue in his existence. But like this time, he always manages to eventually come back to himself. Most wolves aren’t that lucky. Once they go rogue, they never come back to their senses and they have to be put down.

“Don’t you already know? You got here all on your own. Imagine my surprise when I saw you”, Dean informs him, eyeing him coldly. The feeling of betrayal is more than apparent on his face.

“I… Dean, let me explain…” John tries to say, realizing what his son is talking about.

“Explain what, dad? That you’re a freaking monster? That me and Sammy are both monsters like you and that you’ve been lying to us our whole lives? Hiding our true nature from us? And what about mom being a freaking monster hunter, huh? Perhaps you’d like to begin with that!” Dean screams, getting in his father’s face at the end, grabbing him by his shoulders.

“Dean, calm down. I know what this looks like, but you have to let me explain”, John says, sounding afraid and desperate. This was never the way things were supposed to go down. Dean should have never found out the truth like this.

“Then explain! EXPLAIN!” Dean screams again. Their voices can be heard clear as a bell, outside in the other room where Chuck and his three sons, Missouri and Charlie are. Ever since John arrived, they’ve all been spending an awfully lot of time in Missouri’s cabin, where they brought him, waiting for him to wake up. When they realize that John is finally awake and the yelling starts, they all look uneasy, but it’s mostly Cas the one who looks terrified and sad when he hears all this pain in Dean’s voice. For him it’s devastating to know that there’s nothing he can do to make his mate feel better and it kills him inside.

“Please, sit down. I promise I’ll tell you everything”, John says pleadingly and Dean wipes a falling tear, before he composes himself, taking his father’s advice, and sits back down on his chair.

“I know that what your mother and I did doesn’t sound fair. I know that we shouldn’t have hidden the truth from you and your brother, but we did it for your own protection. It was too risky for you to know. Too dangerous. People would come after you, if they knew who you were and that wouldn’t even be the worst part”, John says and his voice trembles.

“Who are we, dad? Who am I? Why did you have to hide us? Am I a wolf like you? Sammy too? What the hell is this thing on my chest?” Dean asks, connecting his fist with his chest right where the tattoo lies underneath his flannel shirt.

“You’re not wolves. Either of you. Not yet anyway. You never turned, therefore right now and under the sigil’s protection, you’re a hundred percent human. If you don’t remove it, that will never change”, John explains.

“And what happens if I decide to remove it?” Dean asks, another tear falling out of his eyes.

“You’ll only sign up for a certain death”, his father answers, staring at his son.

“What does that even mean? What is the thing that will kill me? The turn? Or those who will come after me, according to you? Am I really going to turn into a wolf like you? Like the others?” Dean asks, not believing the words that are coming out of his mouth. Not believing that he is having this conversation and especially with his father.

“You’re half human, which means that theoretically there’s a fifty percent chance that you won’t turn. That you’ll never be able to turn, but considering you’re already having visions and memories, now that you’re only a human, I’d say that chance is nowhere near that high. I’m certain that you’ll become a wolf. And if that happens and you do turn, you’ll go mad, Dean. You will lose yourself completely. There’s no way you’re going to survive the madness, if you turn for the first time at this age. You’ll hurt everyone around you and you will have to be put down. And even if you do survive it, the madness I mean, there are other disasters lurking in the dark, waiting to happen. For you the only outcome of such a decision is death, one way or another”, John replies without faltering. He sounds cruel, but he looks so certain of his words, like he believes this to his core. Dean, however, is too stubborn to accept that. There’s no way the destiny that awaits him is that terrible. After years of denial, he sees it now. His destiny is to be with Cas and his parents almost robbed him of this opportunity. If he can really be a wolf, if he’s been a wolf the whole time, then Cas and him can really be together, like they’re supposed to.

“You came back to yourself and you’ve been suppressing your wolf for a long time too. Why can’t it be the same for me?”

“Even though my wolf was suppressed for a long time, I’ve turned many times in my life. Your mother was the one to help me be cured of this disease and live like a normal person. She was hunting with her family when she found me. She saved me. I’ve always had trouble controlling my wolf. This wasn’t the first time I’ve gone rogue, but always the people I love helped me get back to myself. Your mother found a more permanent solution to this disease.”

“Maybe it was a disease for you, but you had no right to keep me from my destiny. From being the one I was supposed to be”, Dean yells, more tears escaping his eyes.

“And who do you think you’re supposed to be, Dean? What have they told you? Have they’ve been lying to you, telling you you’re supposed to be some kind of a hero?” John yells in return.

“You denied me my soulmate, when you chose this fate for me. You denied me my happiness.”

“So, you have found your soulmate then”, John mutters and looks like he has already failed in his job to protect Dean.

“Why would you do that, dad? Why would you deprive me of this?”

“The only things I deprived you of was pain and death. You have no idea what you’re talking about, Dean.”

“What do you know about me, dad? What are you not telling me? You must know a lot, if you’re that certain of your predictions. What are you still hiding from me?” Dean asks, balling his hands into fists.

“I know exactly what fate has in store for you and I’ve been trying to keep it from happening my whole life”, John answers seriously.

“And how do you know that exactly? How can you be so sure?”

“I can, because I know everything that happened in your previous lives and I know it is destined to happen again. I don’t know what kind of lies they’ve been serving you with here, but the truth is that the story of the two soulmates is not some kind of love story with a happy ending; any sort of fairytale about heroes. It’s only a story about two people who are cursed. Two people who are cursed to live the same tragedy over and over again.”

Dean averts his eyes. He can’t look at his father right now. It’s too painful for him to do so. But he still wants to know more.  
“What is it then? The thing you can’t let happen?” he asks in a low voice.

“I can’t tell you that. At least not yet. No one should know about their own destiny. If I told you, I could make it worse. Push you towards wrong decisions and have the same outcome. The only thing you need to know is that in order to stay safe, you must remain human.”

“What do you know about me, dad? What do you know about our family? Are we really related to that Henry dude they’ve all been going on about? The former Alpha of this pack?” Dean asks and John’s hesitation to answer infuriates him.  
“ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!”

“Henry Winchester, the former Alpha of this pack, is my father. Your grandfather”, John finally replies, lowering his gaze.

“Is? Does that mean he’s still alive?”

“Probably. I haven’t seen him in years, though. He went into hiding right after you were born.”

Dean startles at that information.  
“He was there when I was born? I thought he walked out on you when you were a kid” he says. Disbelief colors his voice.

“That’s the story we decided to tell you and the rest of the people. We didn’t want anyone looking into him. It wasn’t safe. We destroyed documents and forged others to go along with our story. He was the one to identify you. From the moment you were born he knew who you were, who you were going to become”, John says, his eyes meeting Dean’s after a long time.

“How did he know?” Dean asks, staring at his father. He looks like a deer caught in headlights.

“He knew because you’re the reincarnation of his brother. The reincarnation of the True Alpha.”

“Henry is ‘the’ Henry? My brother from my previous life?” Dean asks astonished.

“He’s the one who told me everything about you. He knows your fate first hand, because he lived it and it never seems to be changing. He was the only unmated descendant of the Winchester line left, before the two royal lines merged. Before the soulmates merged. You are never born through the soulmates. You’re always one hundred percent Winchester Alpha. The same goes for the Omega. The Omega is always born through the other bloodline, the Novaks. You two are always born through your brothers’ bloodlines. That means that if you were to be born again, you would be born through Sam. That is why you always have siblings. When the families merge, it’s automatically the end. Henry went to great lengths to prevent it from happening all over again by tainting his royal pure werewolf blood with a human’s to have me.”

“Your mother was a human”, Dean realizes.  
“So, you’re half human too. That would make me more human than werewolf then.”

“You, Sammy and I are the first hybrids of the royal line. The plan was for you to be as human as possible when you came to be again. Henry didn’t know when that would happen. The period of time that passes for you to be reborn is different each time. He was hoping that you wouldn’t be born this fast. He thought that perhaps this way you could beat your own destiny. That you could live a normal human life that would end the cycle of torment. That if you stayed away from the wolves, you wouldn’t find that so called soulmate of yours that would lead you to your doom. But as you can see, every plan seems to be failing again. I never stood a chance with genes as strong as Henry’s and I turned when I was four. Our bloodline is too powerful to be tainted. That’s why I don’t think it matters how much human blood runs through your veins. The werewolf blood is always going to prevail.”

“You can’t know that for sure. I never turned and I only got the tattoo when I was fourteen. Perhaps it won’t be the same for me as it was for you”, Dean tries to reason.

“If only that were true. Ever since you were born, we’ve been using spells, talismans, herbs, hex bags… everything we could think of to keep you from turning, until you could have your tattoo. You still were too young for that, but we were scared that once you came of age in wolf years the talismans and all the other stuff wouldn’t be enough. We never stopped using those either. We still use them today. When you left us, your visions and your dreams started because we weren’t near you to keep them at bay with our ways. Plus you found the pack, which I guess must have helped too.”

“That’s why you think the dreams started? Because I was too far for your spells and talismans to work?”

“We couldn’t protect you anymore, Dean and you immediately started changing. If it wasn’t for your tattoo, you would have turned ages ago”, John says and he sounds like he’s starting panicking again. His heartbeats sounding faster on the heart monitor.  
“The werewolf blood in our veins is too strong and especially for you. It goes hand in hand with the psyche of the True Alpha”, he finishes and then closes his eyes tightly, looking like he’s in pain.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Dean asks alarmed, getting up from his chair to go close to his father.  
John starts breathing erratically and moving around a lot, when Dean places his hand on his arm, looking at him worriedly.

“Dad, what’s the matter?” he asks panicked.

“Awww… I can’t… It’s happening again. I can’t control it”, his father screams, while the heart monitor attached to him goes crazy. When he opens his eyes again, they’re pure red and Dean gasps in horror. It’s not a look he’s used to seeing on his father’s face.

Not five seconds later, Charlie and Missouri both run through the door, pushing Dean aside and getting to John. While Charlie inserts something in his IV tube, Missouri starts chanting in a language Dean does not understand with her hand placed firmly on John’s forehead. It doesn’t take long for him to pass out again and everyone relaxes.

“Dean, I think you’ve heard enough for one day. Let your father rest. It’s going to be a while before he fully comes back to himself. The transition isn’t going to be easy”, Missouri says, as she takes hold of Dean’s arm, leading him out of the room.  
“You can come see him again, tomorrow”, she says, before, once he’s out of the door, she closes it in his face. Dean is left to stare at the closed door, when he hears a voice coming from somewhere beside him.

“Dean?” the voice mutters and Dean turns to look at a worried Castiel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the subscriptions, the bookmarks, the kudos and the comments! They always make my day! You guys are the best!  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what your thoughts are!!! :D


	18. Family Reunion

“Cas?” Dean mutters, when he sees the hurt look on the boy’s face. He doesn’t have a chance to react any further than that, however, because the moment he acknowledges Castiel’s presence, the boy runs outside.

Fifteen minutes later, Dean finds the boy sitting by the river, at the spot where the human set their tent all those nights ago, on Castiel’s birthday. When he approaches him, Dean watches Cas staring sadly at the water, while he is holding his knees close to his chest.

“Cas? Are you okay?” the human asks carefully.

“I’m fine”, Cas replies stubbornly, wiping a tear from his eyes. Dean doesn’t say anything more, before he joins Cas, sitting next to him, and starts looking also at the water.

“You heard us”, he says. It’s not a question.

“Your father thinks that I am this horrible thing for you and he hasn’t even met me. He said I’ll be your doom.”

“Look, Cas, my father thinks he knows what he’s talking about, but he doesn’t know everything.”

“And what about all the things he said about our past? He seemed to know enough”, Cas says, looking at Dean for the first time. His eyes are swimming in pain and hurt.

“You heard all that? Were we that loud?”, Dean asks, looking away uncomfortably. He can’t stand the pain he sees inside the boy’s eyes.

“You weren’t loud. At least you weren’t most of the time. It’s just our wolf hearing.”

“Right…” Dean mutters.  
“Well, I don’t know what to think, Cas. Not before I know everything and my father doesn’t want to tell me the things that he supposedly knows himself.”

“But what if he’s right? What if the two of us are a bad idea? What if we are destined to destroy one another?” Cas asks and looks helpless.

“Cas, please, don’t talk like that. We can work around this, now that we know that something is up. We’ll look into it and we won’t let the same mistakes happen again. I’m sure we’ll be fine”, Dean says, trying to smile at the boy reassuringly. He doesn’t even know if he believes himself, but Cas needs to stop thinking about this. Dean can’t stand him being miserable. It hurts him to see the boy unhappy.

“Is there really a way around fate?” Cas mutters, still not believing in Dean’s words.

“We’ll make it work. I promise you", Dean tells him and he means it. Somehow he’ll find a way. For Cas.

Cas stares at the human for a moment, before he lowers his eyes again. Dean can tell that he wants to ask him something.  
“Whatever it is, you can ask me.”

“It’s nothing. I just… Does this mean that you want us to work? That you want us to be a real couple?”

Dean sighs deeply before he answers. Suddenly his shoelaces become extremely interesting and he keeps poking at them, while he gives his reply.  
“Cas, you know how much I’ve struggled with this. It wasn’t easy to accept what we possibly are to each other and I still have my issues with it. I know that you said you felt ready from the moment we met, but for me you’re far from ready or from the right age to have a real relationship with me. But… we’ve come a long way you and I and I realize now and I’ve known for a while, because I can feel it in my heart, that you and I are endgame. We’re meant to be, I know that now. I gave you a promise on your birthday and I intend to keep it. I’ll try… I am trying. Nothing my father said or will say will make me break that promise. Besides, I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. I’m in too deep now and I’m afraid there’s no going back.”

“Do you love me?” Cas asks innocently, staring at Dean with his beautiful blue eyes.

“You know I do. I’ve told you a hundred times”, Dean answers truthfully, staring back at the boy.

“I know you love me, but as a mate?”

“Cas…”

“As a mate? Do you love me the way you would love your Omega, if you ever let your wolf out?”

“I… I do. Yes. That’s exactly the way I love you.”

“So, what your father said…”

“Don’t worry about my father, Cas. I know that his heart is in the right place, but he doesn’t have a say in what I do with my life. Especially when it comes to you and the pack. He’s been lying to me for years. He almost succeeded in keeping us apart forever. I won’t let him keep me away from you. Not now that I’ve come to terms with the way I feel about you. I want to be with you. It will just take a little longer, but I promise you, I won’t give up on us. Do you believe me? Can you trust me?” the human asks and caresses the boy’s cheek with his thumb.

Cas just stares at him.  
“I want to… I do. I can…” he mutters then.

“Then you don’t have to worry about anything. We’ll be fine”, Dean promises and then leans in and gives a kiss on the boy’s forehead.

__

~*~

_**  
**_

_…A WEEK LATER…_

“There’s no doubt there’s binding magic in the tattoo. Your father wasn’t lying”, Missouri concludes after a few moments of inspection.

“So, is it true then? Is this thing what keeps me from becoming a werewolf?” Dean asks, as he puts his shirt back on. Cas sits patiently by his side, while both his brothers, Michael and Gabriel are also in the room, standing a few feet away, waiting for Missouri’s reply.

“I don’t see a reason why we shouldn’t believe it. I felt Henry’s presence inside you the moment I met you. I knew you were special and I told Chuck. After we found out about your dreams, there was really no doubt for me about who you were. And I believe after your father’s appearance no one else doubts it anymore either. You’re our true Alpha, Dean. You are the first Alpha and the leadership of this pack is your birthright. I never thought it was just a fairytale, just a myth. I always knew it was true”, Missouri answers and looks at Dean like she worships him.

“Great. And what happens now?” Michael asks impatiently. He looks fed up with this whole deal.

“What do you mean, Michael?” Missouri asks, taken aback by the tone of his voice.

“You’ve been all acting like this is a miracle for the past week or so, ever since his father spoke. People from the pack who hated Dean a few days ago, found out the truth and now they are acting like he’s something like a god to them and they’re bowing down to him instead of my father, every time they see him. So, I’m asking him; are you going to take your place as our Alpha? Is that where this is going? Are you going to ignore everything your father said and just do it? Risk Cas’ safety in the process?” the werewolf asks and he seems mad.

“I never said I wanted to be your Alpha. Why the hell are you attacking me all of the sudden? It’s not my fault that your pack fucking found out. I never said anything to anyone and it’s not like I’m encouraging that kind of behavior. You think I want them to act around me like I’m some kind of royalty? Despite everything, I’m just a regular guy and I want to keep it that way. In fact I kind of miss the old days, when everyone hated me around here. As for Cas, you know what he means to me. I would never do anything that would put him in danger. The reason I’m asking about the tattoo is not because I want to remove it. I just want to know what’s what. How would you feel if you were lied to your whole life about who you really were? I don’t know what to fucking believe anymore”, Dean yells and Michael recoils. Castiel looks uncomfortably both at Dean and his brother and Gabriel realizing his little brother’s uneasiness steps in.

“Hey, guys, calm down”, he says, placing his hand on Michael’s shoulder.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I just… Michael, stop fucking looking at me like I’m trying to overthrow your father from his fucking throne or something. This is about my life. I just want to know the truth about me and my family. I’m not trying to become your leader. I don’t want that.”

“And yet you’re still with my brother. Don’t you understand where this is going? Didn’t you hear a word your father said? Don’t you care about the danger you’re putting him in, even if you don’t turn? We can’t know for sure that you have to be a werewolf for the foreseen disaster to happen. Fate has already brought you two together”, Michael says and Cas’ face falls at the sound of his words.

“I’m not going to abandon Cas just on a possibility. We’ve been through too much and we’re trying to go as slow and careful about this as possible. If I was after what you think I’m after and I didn’t care about what happens to him, don’t you think I would have completed the bond by now? I don’t want anyone to get hurt. And this is not just about me anymore. My father is fucking handcuffed to a bed and he’s been delirious for days. I still haven’t talked to my mother and now I know for a fact that my brother shares the same fate with me. Your pack is the last thing on my mind right now. So, whatever it is you’re thinking, stop thinking about it. All I want is for my family and Cas to be safe”, Dean finishes, glaring at the Alpha. Everyone else looks uncomfortably at the floor or the walls. The room is filled with Alpha pheromones and it doesn’t seem like they’re just Michael’s, even though technically Dean isn’t a wolf.

“About that”, Gabriel says after a moment.  
“What are you going to do about your family? Are you going to contact your mother? Are you going to tell your brother the truth? I honestly don’t think it’s safe for them to be out there on their own now that the word of your true nature is out. They might be in danger.”

“You think someone could hurt them? Could someone from the pack turn against them?” Dean asks and looks like he hasn’t considered the possibility. Until now all he thought about was if he should tell his brother or not and what he should do about his mother, now that his father was here.

“If you asked me a few years back, I would say to you that there is no one in this pack who is untrustworthy, but now with everything that has happened, I’m not so sure anymore. After Cas’ disappearance I learned to keep my eyes open. We’ve already been infiltrated once and now we happen to have a bunch of new members that we know nothing about.”

“You think Meg and the rest of the group could do that? Betray us?” Cas asks and looks hurt.

“I don’t know, Cas. I don’t know who to trust and who not to trust anymore. Especially, when it comes to something as huge as this. We’re talking about a legend coming to life here. Now that the whole pack knows, it’s not hard for the word to get outside of our lands and reach other wolves. Don’t forget that we have alliances with other packs too. The word could easily reach the wrong ears.”

“I need to bring them here. I can’t risk it. It’s not safe for them out there. We need to go get them now.”

“I can arrange that. Me, Gabriel, Benny and Gadreel can go get them”, Michael suggests.

“No, I’m coming with. I won’t let you drag them here the way you did me. I need to talk to them first. Tell them the truth. My mother already knows enough, but my brother doesn’t. He could be already fucking married for all I know. I won’t send a couple of strange men drag him out of the door and away from Jessica”, Dean argues.

“You can’t be serious. You’re not leaving this camp. It’s too dangerous and as for the human, she can’t come with. We can only bring your mother and your brother and that’s it. I’m not negotiating this.”

“It’s up to them to decide. If Sam wants to tell her the truth I won’t stop him and if she wants to follow, I won’t stop her either. I’m not going to ruin my brother’s life for this. I just want him to be safe. And there’s no way I’m not coming. What are you so afraid of? You didn’t seem to care about my safety when we were at the woods looking for Cas. What now? You don’t want me to finally find out the camp’s secret location? Don’t you get that now I am a part of this pack just as much as you are?”

“Hey, hey, guys. Stop arguing. Michael, Dean is right. We need him to come with, if we want them to trust us. They won’t just follow us and we can’t drag them here by force”, Gabriel reasons and they all can see when Michael finally gives in and agrees.

“You should hurry. Your mother’s presence could also help with your father’s recovery. He mentioned that she is the only one that grounds him. I’m sure she can bring him back to his senses. His mate can calm down his wolf”, Missouri says, looking at Dean.

“You’re right. Call Benny and Gadreel. We’re leaving in half an hour”, Dean says without realizing that he’s actually ordering around a couple of Alpha werewolves. That brings a smile on Castiel’s face. He can already feel his Alpha coming to the surface. Missouri can’t hide a smirk either, but sensing Michael’s anger that’s boiling under his skin, she takes advantage of her power as an elder and gives the same order, knowing that Michael won’t refuse her.  
“He’s right. You need to go now. Go tell them, Gabriel”, she says and then turns to Dean.  
“Don’t worry. We’ll keep Cas and your father safe while you’re gone”, she tells him and she places a comforting hand on his shoulder. Dean just smiles back at her.

 

~*~

 

When they get to Dean’s family home, the human can barely keep it together. All these emotions are rushing back. He can’t believe that he’ll finally see his mother again. He’s so thrilled yet terrified by the fact, ‘cause he knows that the woman he’s about to see now isn’t really the one he always knew and remembers and that scares him. The others immediately can sense his uneasiness.

“Are you okay, brother?” Benny asks. Even though, Benny now knows Dean’s status, he can’t help but call him that. He even used to call him brother, when he was a mere human that he had just met, but then over the years they bonded so much that this title became a reality for both of them. Benny really feels Dean like his brother; like his best friend and so does Dean.

“Alpha, are you alright?” Gadreel also asks worriedly.  
Obviously the same does not apply for him as it does for Benny. Despite the fact that Gadreel is also a good friend of Dean’s and they’re close, ever since he found out about who Dean really is and it became a reality and not just a myth based on some dreams, he can’t talk to him with nothing but respect, the same way he would to the Alpha of his pack, which of course always pisses Michael off and gets an eye roll from Dean himself every time, except for now that the human’s mind is filled with worry.

“I’m okay. Come on, let’s go”, Dean says and reluctantly gets out of the car, the four other men following right behind him.

When he gets to the door, he shares a look with Michael and then rings the doorbell. Not a minute later, they all hear footsteps coming close to the door. Dean can feel eyes looking at him through the peephole and after a moment the door opens wide.

Dean stares at the person who stares back at him with disbelief.  
“Dean?” the man in front of him asks, looking at him with wide eyes.

“Bobby?” Dean asks in return with equal disbelief, until he hears fast footsteps coming closer to the door and sees his mother staring at him with mixed feelings on her face. She looks exhausted and drained, the grief written all over her face, which soon is replaced by relief. For a while at least.

“Dean? My Dean…” she says after a moment of silence and moving past Bobby falls into his arms, holding him tightly close to her body, while tears start running down her face.

“Mom…” Dean mutters and hugs her back just as tightly, while his eyes start burning with unshed tears.  
“It’s okay, mom. I’m here. Dad is with me. He’s okay too”, he says then, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

“Dean…” she says again, taking a step back to look at him. The relief he could see a moment ago in her eyes is replaced again with something terrible. Worry and pain are evident again on her face, like the news about his dad or the fact that he’s here didn’t help her escape the torture.

“What’s wrong, mom?” Dean asks, having a terrible feeling in his gut.

“They took Sam”, she says and then bursts again in tears, hugging her son tightly. Dean is left dumbfounded and all the rest stare at each other. They came too late.


	19. The Real Story Behind The Myth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!! This chapter contains mentions of suicide and various deaths that happen in Dean's and Castiel's previous life. If you are triggered by such things prevent from reading! Thank you!  
> For the rest of you, enjoy and sorry for the delay! :-)

They’re all sitting awkwardly in the living room, as Bobby offers Mary a glass of water to calm her down. Dean’s sitting right beside her on the couch, holding her hand and trying to comfort her, but all he can think about is Sam. Who has him? When did they take him? Is it really too late to save his brother?

“Mom?” he asks after a moment, when his mother gives the glass back to Bobby, who in turn puts it on the coffee table in front of them.  
“Mom, you gotta talk to me. What happened? Who took Sam? Did Jess…?”

“Jess is upstairs, resting. She’s been so upset lately, the poor girl. I gave her a pill to help her sleep for a little while. They took him right in front of her, Dean”, Mary says and stares at her son with eyes filled with pain.

“Who did this? When?” Dean asks, unable to hide his anger. He’s been trying to stay calm for his mother’s sake, but he can’t help it anymore.

“A week ago, four men broke into their apartment. They beat up Sam right in front of her and then dragged him out of the door”, she says and pauses.  
“Dean, I know you must know about the supernatural by now.”

“I do…”

“Those men were werewolves”, Mary tells him, but Dean doesn’t seem at all fazed by that. He already knew it in his heart.

“Why did they attack Sam?” Dean asks and Mary seems hesitant to answer.

“They wanted to send a message to you”, she says.

“What kind of a message?” he asks.

“They said that they would be willing to give back your brother, if you gave them someone else in return.”

“Who?” Dean asks and Mary can feel all men around her staring at her. She already knows what all of them are and she’s dreading the reply she’s about to give.

“They want you to give them your mate”, she says softly and her eyes dart in fear to the two men who stand up abruptly.

“No way in hell”, Michael screams and Gabriel tries to hold him back, but looks just as pissed. Dean just stares at the ground, as his heart starts hammering inside his chest. He has never felt such extreme anger before in his life. How dare they kidnap his brother and then on top of that want to exchange his life for Castiel’s? It sickens him to just even consider ever accepting such a deal.

“What did those men look like?” he asks, after closing his eyes tightly. He can barely keep it together with all the anger bubbling inside his chest.

“Jess said they were wearing masks, except for one of them. The one who made the offer. He was blond with blue eyes, about 6ft 1 and muscular.

“Lucifer?” Gabriel wonders out loud.

“Yeah, it’s him. We caught his scent at the apartment”, Bobby answers, surprising all of them, while Dean is staring at him in disbelief.

“You’re a werewolf”, Michael says. It’s not a question.  
“Who’s we?” he asks then in a cold tone.

“My Alpha and I. The only problem is we don’t know where this asshole is hiding. He’s not with his old pack. We’ve searched everywhere, but he made sure not to leave a scent trail for us to follow”, Bobby says as the others keep staring at him.

“Who is your Alpha?” Michael asks then.

“I think you might know of him. Besides, he used to be one of you. His name is Henry.”

“You know Henry? You know where he is?” Dean asks shocked.

“Of course I do, boy. What part of him being my Alpha did you not understand?” Bobby says, rolling his eyes at Dean.

“Do you know what Henry is to Dean?” Gabriel asks then, interrupting them.

“Of course I do. He’s his grandfather plus his brother and he is also my nephew and Alpha”, Bobby replies and everyone’s eyes look like they’re about to fall out of their eye sockets.

“You’re a Winchester too”, Michael mutters.

“I had to change it to Singer. Couldn’t draw too much attention to myself, when we went into hiding after the tragedy. So, I took my wife’s surname.”

“What tragedy?” Dean asks, as he feels tears start blurring his eyes.

“I’m not allowed to talk about it. Whatever question you have, you need to take it to Henry”, Bobby tells Dean, but the answer doesn’t seem to appease the young man, who stands up angrily.

“Enough with all the secret crap. You are going to tell me what I want right now”, Dean yells at Bobby; but, the old werewolf doesn’t seem to do well with orders.

“Or what, boy? What are you going to do?” Bobby asks and looks threateningly at Dean.  
“All the time you spent with the wolves stripped you completely of your manners? You should show me some respect. I’m much older and much stronger than you”, he adds, and Michael actually smirks at Dean. At last someone who can put stupid Dean in his place, since everyone in the pack seem to have forgotten what he really is.

“Bobby, please”, Mary says, while she puts her hand on the older man’s shoulder. Only then, does he seem to calm down.

“I need to talk to the both of you, alone”, Dean tells them then, looking at both Bobby and his mother.

“Let’s go to the backyard”, Mary suggests and they both nod, before following her outside, leaving the rest of the guys in the living room.

 

~*~

_**  
** _

“What the hell is going on, mom? We’re related to Bobby? Why would you keep that from me?” Dean asks his mother angrily, before he turns to Bobby.  
“And you”, he says, pointing his finger accusingly at the older man.  
“How could you treat me all this time like your errand boy and hide all this from me, if you knew?”

“Your mother only found out about our relation recently; after your father went looking for you. So, don’t blame her. She didn’t know anything about me. She didn’t even know what I was.”

“And you? What is your excuse, then?” Dean asks exasperated, glaring at Bobby.

“Henry didn’t want any of you to know. Your father never knew of me when he was younger, because, even though Henry and I were always in touch, Henry kept me away from his family after John was born. When you were born, however, Henry asked me to move closer to you and keep your family safe, because he had work to do and he couldn’t stay with you.”

“Well, bang up job so far. I hate to break it to you, but you suck at it. First I was kidnapped and now so is Sam,” Dean says, causing Mary to flinch at his words.

“When you were gone, I knew who had taken you, so I wasn’t worried. You were exactly where you were supposed to be. You had found your pack.”

“Are you crazy? They almost killed me. They didn’t know who I was and neither did I. It’s a miracle I survived as long as I did, before we finally found out about my true nature,” Dean says and then pauses.  
“Wait? You knew where I was? You said mom only found out about you recently. So, I take it you didn’t even bother to tell them where I’ve been before that. How could you do that just to keep your identity a secret?”

“Henry thought that since it was inevitable for you to end up with them, it was better to leave you with them to toughen you up. He never agreed with your father to completely hide your nature from you. However, he had no idea that you had already found your true mate and neither did I. I should have known. This changes everything. I never would have let them take you, if I knew. As for your father and mother, they could handle it. Henry and I both knew they already suspected where you were. John and Mary knew a lot about your true nature and the things that come with it. They just didn't know that I knew and they also didn’t know where to look for you. Henry always kept the location of the pack lands a secret from John,” Bobby explained.

“And what about my brother? He didn’t know any of this,” Dean protested angrily.

“I thought that it was your parents’ choice to tell him the truth or not and they decided to keep it a secret for a reason.”

“Yeah, so much for that. Now he’s been kidnapped by that dick. Only God knows what he’s been through. I don’t know if he’s even alive,” Dean says and his words fill Mary with guilt and renewed pain.

“He’s alive. Trust me. Lucifer wouldn’t kill him. The exchange is far too important for him to do that. He wants your mate badly.”

“What do you know about Lucifer and why the hell is Cas so important to him? Does it have anything to do with the myth about the first Omega?” Dean asks exasperated.

“I’m afraid not. His power as the first Omega was always Crowley’s agenda as I recently found out, ever since I learned of your mate’s existence. He wanted to mate Castiel, because he believed that through mating the Omega, he would gain the powers of the first Alpha, since for all they knew, he didn’t exist anymore. Of course they were wrong, because even though the first Alpha and the first Omega are linked, their power isn’t transferable through mating. It’s their own. I believe Lucifer believed it too, when he tried to kidnap Castiel the first time for Crowley, but he wanted it for different reasons. When it comes to him, things are a little more personal. He wanted to get his revenge from Castiel.”

“What does that even mean? What could Cas have possibly done to him?”

“Well, Lucifer considers Castiel responsible for his family’s destruction.”

“His family’s destruction? Cas can’t possibly have anything to do with this. When was this?” Dean asks and he can see the hesitation in Bobby’s eyes. He doesn’t want to answer him. He can tell that Bobby without meaning to do it has already revealed too much.

“Bobby, tell me right now, or so help me God…”

“He’s not blaming the Castiel of now, but the one from your previous life,” Bobby tells him, as he looks at the ground.

“Who is Lucifer? How did he know who Cas was? And what the hell did Cas do to destroy his family?”

“Please, Dean. I can’t tell you that.”

“Bull! You’ll tell me right now, because I’m sick of this stupid game. Lucifer seemed to know who I was when the pack held him captive and he lost his shit when I went to see him. He denied that he knew me, but now I know better than that. He was alive around the time Cas did whatever was supposedly done to Lucifer's family, wasn’t he? He knew us both. You said you are mine and Henry’s uncle, so you must know everything about it. SO, TELL ME!”

“Lucifer is not his real name. It’s just a name he chose for himself when he renounced the name that was given to him by his parents,” Bobby replies and Dean freezes at the sound of his words.

“What is his real name?” he mutters, as his heart starts hammering inside his chest. Bobby hesitates to answer for a moment, while Mary is holding her breath, but when the older man sees the helplessness in Dean’s eyes, he can’t help it anymore.

“His real name is Nicklaus Dean Winchester, son of Castiel and Dean Winchester.”

“Oh my God! Nicky...” Dean whispers and crumbles on his knees, as tears start falling down his cheeks.  
“He’s my son. He’s Nicky…” he repeats and stares at Bobby from the ground through tearful eyes, while his mother kneels next to him and hugs him close to her.

“I’m sorry, Dean. I wish I didn’t have to tell you, but perhaps it’s best that you know with everything that’s happening.”

“Why does he hate Cas? I don’t understand! Cas loved him. How could Nicky ever think differently? What is this great crime that our son blames Cas for?”

“Of course Castiel loved him. But Nicklaus was a troubled kid and instead of dealing with the pain he decided to get angry and blame people that were not responsible.”

“Please, Bobby… You have to tell me what happened. I can’t take another day of not knowing what everyone else knows and is warning me about. Please, I’m begging you.”

“Bobby, just tell him. It’s stupid to keep this from him, now that he knows everything else. Don’t you see how much it’s torturing him?”

“Forgive me, but I believe that the truth could be even worse for him”, Bobby argues.

“He has the right to know and decide for himself. Perhaps keeping this from him is a mistake. We can’t be sure that what happened before will happen again. Besides, in his previous life he didn’t have anyone like you or Henry to tell him the story first hand. He only thought everything was just rumors and weird visions, which he apparently never trusted. This time if he knows all the facts it could be different and he could choose a different course when or if the time comes,” Mary insists and she can tell that Bobby is finally convinced.

“Okay… you’re right!” he says before he turns to Dean.  
“I’ll tell you, Dean. But please try to be strong.”

“I can take it. Just tell me,” Dean assures him and then his mother nods to Bobby, from her place next to her son.

“You and Castiel had a lot more kids after Nicklaus was born, and the pack was thriving for a long time…” Bobby starts recounting, but then pauses.  
“…until one of your children fell ill. Castiel was miserable and tried every herb we knew and every recipe and the pack did everything they could to help, but your little girl kept burning up and was getting worse and worse with every day that was passing. A few days later, more of your children started falling ill and Castiel knew that it was only a matter of time before they would all die and Cas couldn’t accept it. One night Castiel left secretly in search of the wicked witch of the woods, who the myth said was once a normal woman that had dedicated herself to the devil and had now become a monster. She was an abomination that was making deals with demons for centuries on behalf of others, bargaining for lives lost,” Bobby says and hesitates when he sees how terrified Dean looks of what he is about to hear, but he decides to continue.

“No one in the pack really believed that she was real and the horror stories about how she was the doom of the Originals—meaning the very first Alpha and Omega—was nothing but just that; horror stories. Castiel, however, proved everyone wrong and actually managed to find her and asked her to heal your children. The witch revealed that she could, but the price to be paid was very high. Castiel had to die, giving up life and soul both. The Omega accepted with no second thought and immediately the children started to recover.”

As Bobby continues with the story, Dean does nothing but listen, while he feels his heart breaking with every piece of information he’s receiving.  
“Days passed and Castiel hadn’t returned to the camp. After you made sure that the children were finally okay, you assembled a search party. Both Henry and your now teen-aged son, Nicklaus, went with you, while me, your parents and your sister Sam stayed behind to look after the rest of your kids and watch over the pack. You were wandering for days inside the woods, until you finally found a clearing that wasn’t supposed to be there. In the middle of that clearing Castiel was lying dead on the ground,” Bobby says, as Dean feels fresh tears running down his face.

“You went mad with grief and after you returned to the camp you were never the same again. At first you refused to burn Castiel’s corpse like the wolf custom demanded and instead buried the body. After that you wouldn’t leave the Omega's grave. You wouldn’t talk, you wouldn’t eat and you wouldn’t sleep. You were just there grieving day and night, until finally one night, when Henry had come looking for you, the witch herself appeared to you both. She told you what Castiel had done and she offered you a new deal; your life for Castiel’s. Even though Henry was begging you not to, you agreed. She cast a spell and a few moments later you were dead and Castiel was fighting to get out of the ground and take a breath. When Castiel saw you lying there lifeless and saw the witch, the Omega attacked her, saying you should never have been able to renegotiate the deal. The witch only laughed at the desperation she saw on Cas' face and claimed it was your fault because you were stupid enough to listen to her and that the original deal, now that Castiel was alive, was off and since she had bargained for your children’s souls in exchange for the Omega's soul she had every right to claim them back. We all started hearing the screams after a while, but when we reached what used to be Castiel’s grave, the witch was gone and Castiel was standing, covered in dirt, grieving over your dead body and then we heard Nicklaus screaming from your cabin and we all ran like hell, only to find all of his siblings that had fallen ill before dead.”

When Bobby finishes the story, Dean is a mess, crying uncontrollably in his mother’s arms, until he looks again at Bobby and he knows that there’s something more he’s hiding from him.  
“Tell me. I know there’s more. I can see it in your eyes. Just tell me,” Dean says between sniffles.

“Castiel couldn’t handle losing you and your children and committed suicide, right in front of Nicklaus,” Bobby says and a big sob escapes Dean’s lips. The older man turns his gaze to Mary then and she nods again for him to continue.

“It messed up the kid real bad and he cursed Castiel. He blamed the Omega for everything and then he took off. We never saw him again for centuries. After the tragedy, all the pack abandoned the pack lands, because we thought they were cursed. That’s when I parted ways with Henry and the others and decided to live among the humans. Henry with your parents, Sam and your only two other children that had survived, along with a few other members started a new pack in a different area, but that didn’t last long, because after a few more years, they were attacked by a bigger pack that killed most of them,” Bobby recounts and then pauses once more. He knows how painful everything he says must be for Dean and he knows that Mary feels the same way too. And although, he feels terrible himself, remembering all of this, he has had hundreds of years to come to terms with these facts. But Dean has not and every single fact of the boy’s past life seems like a stab to his heart.

“None other than Henry survived from your family and that’s when Henry went to ask for shelter from Castiel’s old pack, who accepted him with open arms, because after a severe attack on their pack lands they had also lost all members of their royal family and were in need of a leader. They even put his name on their crest in loving memory of both you and Castiel, since the once powerful Winchester pack was now obliterated. He spent whole centuries in that pack, so much that he managed to become one of their oldest members. His untainted royal blood was keeping him young and unaged in comparison to the other members of the pack, who after a few centuries started to age and die. Only a few that had actual memory of the Original royal family and had closer familial ties to them had survived and Henry respectfully had made them part of a council.”

“You’re talking about the Elders. The pack you’re referring to is the pack I’m in now, isn’t it?” Dean asks and seems to have finally managed to compose himself.

“It is. Henry was their Alpha for a long time, so long that yours and Castiel’s memory had faded and the members of the pack had accepted it as part of a myth, just like Henry was encouraging them to do. He thought that the curse was now over and that it was never going to repeat itself, since none of the royal Novak line had survived and he had decided that he would never get mated himself, so that the Winchester line would end with him. And all was well, until a few years later a lone wolf appeared at the pack lands. A young man named Charles, which the pack’s Elders immediately recognized as one of the members of the Original royal family. He had been lost to them during the attack. He was one of Castiel’s nephews.”

“Chuck? Are you talking about Chuck? Cas’ father?” Dean asks in disbelief.

“Yes, I am. When Charles appeared, Henry realized that fate was still playing its twisted game and he decided to leave. That’s when he reached out to me after a long time and told me the whole story, before he decided to join again a secret group he was once a part of, around the time you and Castiel had become mates. The Men of Letters. We were always keeping tabs on each other after that and Henry was often visiting me and my wife Karen, a lone wolf I had met a long time after I had settled down among the humans.”

“Karen is a werewolf too?” Dean asks shocked.

“Yes, of course, and we’ve been together for the better part of two centuries now. Anyway, one day Henry brought a girl home to meet us. She was the daughter of one of the members of the Men of Letters. Henry was in love and he had finally decided to mate with her, since he thought that tainting his blood with a human’s would be enough to prevent the prophecy from coming to life.”

“Why do you, Henry and my father all think that what happened to me and Cas in our previous life is a part of some kind of prophecy that will happen again?”

“Didn’t you listen what I told you before? Even in your previous life the myth existed and it said that the first Alpha and Omega would be doomed to make the same mistakes, trust the evil witch every time and relive their lives in misery until they could find a way to break the curse. The myth said that their very existence as wolves was because of the witch’s curse and that they were once humans. That lycanthropy is the very first curse cast on them by the witch to make them suffer indefinitely. Castiel and you even had visions about it, but never truly believed them, until the very end. But I’m sure the myth that has survived among the members of the pack you’re currently in has more rainbows and unicorns than this one. The fact is that this is the first time you are reborn so close to your previous life that there are actual people who know exactly what happened.”

“Wait! You said that we would have to relive our lives the same way, until we found a way to break the curse. So, there must be a way. And knowing all this, we’ll just have to make sure that no one makes any deals with any witches and we’ll be fine,” Dean observes and looks hopeful.

“The myth surrounding the witch says that you won’t always realize who she is. That she comes in many shapes and forms. Just because the last time Castiel went looking for her and she decided not to hide doesn’t mean that she’ll do the same thing again. The tragedy of the first Alpha and the first Omega is that they are both doomed to die for one another. The death of your children wasn’t part of the curse. It was only a means to an end for her to make you suffer and kill you both. Every time she chooses different tortures.”

“No, I don’t accept that. Whatever it is, we’ll find a way. I’ll protect Cas no matter what. Even if I have to kill that bitch with my bare hands,” Dean says and looks determined.  
“But first things first, we need to find Sam and I need to talk to Nicky,” he tells them as he stands up and then he disappears inside the house, leaving them alone in the backyard, standing under the tree’s shade.

“Well, okay! That went better than I thought it would. I just hope Henry doesn’t skin me alive when he finds out I told him everything.”

“He won’t. It will be fine. Let’s just go help him save Sam”, Mary tells him and for the first time in days, she seems confident that they will succeed.


	20. Like Father Like Son

When Dean goes back inside the house, he finds the four men sitting stiffly around the living room, right where he left them before, and if the look on their faces is anything to go by, then they have probably all heard every single word Bobby told him outside. ‘So much for talking to him alone. Stupid wolf hearing’, he thinks.

“So, what’s it gonna be?” Michael, who seems the least fazed by it, asks the moment Dean lays eyes on him. The others look reluctant to talk to him just yet and Benny and Gadreel even try to avoid his gaze.

“I’ll stay here with my mother and Bobby, in case Lucifer tries to communicate. The rest of you can go back to the camp”, Dean replies, but none of them seem okay with that decision.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. You may be the reincarnation of the first Alpha, but for now you are nothing but a mere human. If Lucifer shows up here, you don’t stand a chance against him, even with your friend Bobby. Lucifer has others with him”, Gabriel hurries to say.

“Well, then I guess that’s my problem. ‘Cause I sure as hell ain’t gonna bargain Cas for my brother’s life”, Dean retorts angrily.

Michael seems to get angry by the reminder.  
“Of course you won’t. I’d kill you if you ever tried to pull something like that. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be smart about it. It’s dangerous for you to stay here with just Bobby. I say me, you, Benny and your friend Bobby stay, while Gabriel and Gadreel take your mother and… what’s her name?”

“Jess”, Dean says reluctantly.

“…and Jess to the camp. They will be safer there and the guys can inform the rest of the pack about what’s happening, so that they can keep a closer eye on Cas and be on alert themselves in case anyone tries anything there. We’ll stay until he reaches out to us. He’ll eventually have to, if what he’s looking for is the trade”, Michael reasons, but then pauses, when he hears footsteps coming from the second floor and a moment later he sees a blonde woman emerging at the top of the stairs. All of the men turn to look at her then, right when Mary and Bobby also step inside the living room.

“Jess?” Dean asks surprised and soon the look on her face, as she walks down the stairs, turns his stomach into knots.

“He wants to talk to you”, she says and she sounds scared, with tears running down her face, while she gestures to the cell phone she’s holding in her hand. She doesn’t have to say anything else, because Dean knows exactly who she’s talking about.

“Give it to me”, he says and actually manages to sound calm, even though his heart is racing and he can feel his blood pumping inside his head. Jessica takes a step forward and hands him the phone.

“Hello”, Dean says, when he brings the phone to his ear. He can feel everyone’s gazes on him, but he doesn’t dare to look back at them.

“I know exactly where you are and who you’re with, so if you want the gorgeous blonde to live, I’ll advise you to think twice before you do anything stupid”, the voice on the other end of the line says and right away Dean’s eyes turn to Jess and sees a small red dot on her dress. They’re near the house and someone is pointing a gun at her through one of the windows.

“Okay. Tell me what you want and I’ll do it”, Dean says and tries to swallow the lump in his throat.

“I know they told you about me. Who I am. I want to see you. We both know that you’ll never hand over that whiny little kid, so you’ll have to do just fine for now. If you want to see your brother Sam ever again, you will come unarmed and alone at the location I’ll give you. Don’t even try to screw with me, because I’ll know, if you try to bring anyone else”, the voice says and Dean looks around and sees everyone’s gazes on him. He knows that they can hear everything that Lucifer is telling him due to their wolf hearing. Only Jess and Mary seem to have no idea about what’s going on.

“Get out of the house. I know they can hear us. Only when you’re at a safe distance from them will I give you the location”, Lucifer tells him and Dean moves towards the front door, before he locks eyes with Michael one last time.

“Dean?” his mother yells, but Bobby holds her back just as Dean gives her one last apologetic look and walks out the door.

 

~*~

 

“We need to move right now. Grab everything you think you’ll need at the camp and let’s go”, Michael orders both women the moment the danger has passed.

“What are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere without my son. Where did he go?” Mary protests and Michael gives her a death glare.

“I’m afraid you’re confused. This wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order”, he yells at her.

“Michael, calm down”, Gabriel tells him right before Bobby gets in his face.

“Listen, boy, you may be an Alpha and I may be a Beta, but I’m much older than you and I can easily take you. So, don’t you dare talk to her ever again like that. She’s a mother and she’s worried, because both her sons are in danger. So, step aside and give her the goddamn space and time she needs”, the older man spits every single word on his face and Michael recoils.

“Bobby, what is happening? What are we going to do?” Mary asks then and looks terrified.

“Although I hate to admit it, he’s right, Mary. You have to go with them. Dean won’t be coming back here anytime soon, but I promise you’ll see him again. It’s safer for you and Jess to follow them to their camp. Don’t worry about him. I’m sure he’ll be fine and that he’ll come back with Sam. I’ll make sure of it.”

“He went to get Sam?” Jess asks and sounds hopeful, even though she still appears to be petrified.

“Yes, he did, Jessica. Everything is going to be okay soon. Just go get your stuff”, Bobby tells her and Jess, after taking a shaky breath, runs back upstairs to get the suitcase she brought with her the other night after the attack in hers and Sam’s apartment.

“What about you? What are you going to do?” Mary asks and she looks worried.

“I’ll contact Henry and then try and see if we can find Dean and Sam and help them. We’ll meet you at the camp, when this is over”, Bobby reassures her and then turns to the four werewolves, who are still standing around the living room.  
“I believe you, gentlemen, can go wait in the car”, he says, giving Michael a dark look.

“Come on, guys. Let’s go wait outside”, Michael says in return and then they all follow him back to their car.

__

~*~

_**  
**_

When they reach the camp, Cas is waiting impatiently outside Dean’s old cabin, the one he now shares with Meg and the moment he sees his brother parking the truck right outside the Alpha’s house, he runs to them. Michael doesn’t even get a chance to get out of his seatbelt and his little brother opens the door and starts bombarding him with questions about his mate.

“What took you so long? Where is Dean? What happened? Why isn’t he with you? ” the boy asks frantically and looks around worriedly in case he missed the human.

“Relax. Dean is alright. He just had to stay back for a little while. He’ll come back later with his brother Sam. There’s no need for you to worry”, Michael answers, as he gets out of the car and fixes the rest of the guys, who immediately play along, with a look.

Cas visibly relaxes at his brother’s words.  
“Oh, okay. I’ve just had a terrible feeling ever since you left today”, the boy says and then a smile finds its way on his face when he sees Dean’s mother getting out of the car from the other side.  
“You’re Dean’s mom. I’m so happy to see you again”, he tells her when he reaches her and Mary looks taken aback as she looks at the handsome young boy in front of her, who is staring right back at her with his huge innocent blue eyes.

“I’m glad to finally be here, but do I know you? Are you one of Castiel’s little brothers? I’d really like to meet my son’s mate. Will you tell them we’re here?” she asks without realizing that that’s exactly who she’s talking to and the smile fades from the boy’s face. No one misses it from the rest of them who know and Gabriel jumps to the rescue.

“Perhaps we should go inside. I’m sure you and Jessica must be exhausted and stressed. We’ll get a room ready for you and make some dinner”, the werewolf tells her, but Mary, who only now looks away from Cas, doesn’t seem to like the idea.

“I don’t need a room. I just want you to take me see my husband. I’ll stay with him”, she says and the tone of her voice doesn’t leave anything up for debate.

“Of course, as you wish”, Gabriel agrees.

“Mary, I’d like to see father too, if that’s okay”, Jess says then and looks scared to be left alone with all these strangers, so Mary nods.

“Benny, please escort the ladies to Missouri’s cabin”, Michael instructs and the Beta obeys, as the Alpha places his hands protectively and comfortingly on his little brother’s shoulders.

“This way”, Benny says and then the two women follow him.

When they’re finally out of earshot, Michael kneels in front of Cas.  
“Cas, I know what you’re thinking, but…”

“She doesn’t know I’m Dean’s mate. She thinks Dean’s mate is a grown up and she’s gonna have the exact same problem Dean had from the beginning. She’ll never like me”, Cas cries and buries his face in his big brother’s neck.

“Don’t say that. She’ll love you. She just doesn’t know you yet. She doesn’t know who you are. She just assumed that you would be older, because that’s how it works with humans. She’s not a werewolf like Dean’s dad. She’s a mortal and she doesn’t know that much about our customs.

“Are you sure?” Cas asks, reemerging from his hiding spot and sniffles, staring at his brother.

“Of course, I’m sure, Cas. You said it yourself that Dean also had his concerns about it, but now he loves you and wants to be with you. Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah, I guess”, the boy replies and wipes away his tears with the back of his hand.

“Whatever happens now, everything will be okay when Dean gets back. I promise you”, Michael assures him and then tenderly kisses his brother’s forehead, earning a smile from Cas. The boy knows his brother is right. When Dean gets back everything will be okay and even better than that, because now Dean will have all his family with him and they’ll finally be able to be happy without any regrets. He’ll just have to wait for Dean to get back and they’ll have their happily ever after.

 

~*~

 

When he finally reaches the abandoned warehouse Lucifer told him to go, Dean is suddenly attacked by a hundred different emotions. Fear, hope, longing and so many others make his heart race inside his chest in a way that he has never experienced before and as he gets closer to the door, the sound of someone moaning in pain makes his blood run cold. However, nothing prepares him for what he sees when he actually opens the rusty metal door.

At the far eastern wall, Sam is tied up to a chair and there’s blood running down his face from his hairline. He doesn’t seem to be conscious, but still he can’t help the whimpering noises he makes in this horrible state he’s in, the ones Dean was hearing when he was outside. There’s no one around Sam and the warehouse seems to be empty, but Dean knows better than to assume that it actually is. Lucifer wouldn’t just leave and give him Sam like that. Besides, now that Dean knows and Lucifer knows that he knows, there’s no way he would let him leave without talking to him first. He specifically told him that he wanted to talk.

Even though his logic tells him that he has to be careful, the sight of Sam beaten up and tied up like that has Dean running to his brother in seconds. When he reaches him, he carefully places his hands on either side of Sam’s head, trying to lift it up since it hangs lifeless from his neck and shoulders and then gets his hair out of his face, while trying to wake him up. Sam starts to stir and when he finally opens his eyes Dean jumps back in fear, as he is met with an Alpha’s vicious red gaze. Sam starts fighting to get free of his chains, all the while staring and growling at Dean, like he wants to kill him and has absolutely no clue who Dean really is. The chains, however, seem to hold and Dean doesn’t know whether he should be grateful about that or not. It’s not easy to watch his brother being chained like an animal, even though that’s what they apparently have turned him into.

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” comes a voice from somewhere to his left inside the shadows and the human immediately recognizes to whom the voice belongs to.

“What did you do to him?” he asks, the moment Lucifer comes closer and he can actually see him.

“Oh, nothing. I just burned that stupid tattoo off his chest. Isn’t it amazing? All this werewolf craziness was bottled up for so long that now that it’s finally free, Sam doesn’t even recognize his own brother. I wonder what it would be like for you, since you’re the first Alpha and all. It should be so much worse. Do you want to try and see what happens?” Lucifer suggests with a devilish grin on his face.

“What the hell happened to you?” Dean asks then and Lucifer seems taken aback by his reaction. The human doesn’t seem scared anymore, just pissed off and that makes Lucifer feel like he is a child once again and he’s being scolded by his father.

“I’m pretty sure you know”, the werewolf answers and he sounds cold and distant.

“Yeah, I know what happened, but I don’t understand how what happened could turn you into this. You know we were all victims in this story and especially Cas. How can you hate him for what happened? None of this was his fault.”

“I can’t believe you’re still defending him. You’re no better than he is. You have no idea what it’s been like for me and you’re not even trying to understand”, Lucifer yells and an actual tear starts running down his face.

“What I understand is that we as a family went through hell and when we needed to be united, you abandoned this family. You abandoned your siblings and you never looked back. You’re as responsible for our misery as any of us, but somehow you’re the only one who is looking for revenge. Revenge from people that have nothing to do with what happened. The Cas of now has nothing to do with how things turned out last time and he’s only an innocent child and still you’re trying to destroy him.”

“Oh, please. Innocent? That little rat doesn’t have an innocent bone in his entire body. He’s nothing but an egotistical jerk.”

“I know what he did hurt you and that in the end it was wrong, but there was nothing egotistical about his actions. He made a deal to save your siblings and he paid for it with his own life.”

“He didn’t do just that. He took my hero away from me. He turned him into a miserable mess, who then died because of him. He sacrificed himself so that he could live and he took that away too. He took his own life and my father died for nothing.”

“I know that in my previous life we were close and my death hurt you, but…”

“Please, don’t flatter yourself. You’ll never be my father. You’ll never be the man he was, so stop trying to lecture me. You hold no power over me. Stop pretending that you’re him, because you’re not”, Lucifer yells and Sam starts growling again, making them aware of his presence once more. The sound of his brother’s growling makes Dean’s heart clench with renewed pain, but he tries to hide it and remain strong in front of Lucifer. He doesn’t want him to see that he is weak, because then he’ll never listen to him and he knows it. Maybe he’s not what he once was, but if he wants to save himself and Sam, he has to play the part.

“I’m not pretending to be him and I can’t begin to imagine what you’ve been through, but you’re taking it out on all the wrong people”, Dean says, sounding confident and he starts walking closer to the werewolf.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“After hearing this story, there’s only one conclusion I’ve come to.”

“And what is that exactly?” Lucifer asks, eyeing him warily.

“There’s only one villain in this story and that villain happens to be still around and still playing with our family, trying to bring misery all over again.”

“The wicked witch?”

“You know I’m right, Nick. You have to know I’m right. She’s the only reason any of this happened. For all we know she could be responsible for your siblings getting sick too. What kind of illness was that that came so abruptly and was so deadly for werewolves? You know that werewolves are strong and don’t get sick that easily. The way I see it, this could only be the result of dark magic. I’m sure that she manipulated everyone and everything to have this happen. She never planned on saving the kids. People are calling this a curse for a reason. She’s done it before and she’ll do it again, if we don’t stop her.”

“What are you saying?” Lucifer asks and doesn’t seem so hostile anymore.

“Help us put an end to all of this. Hurting Cas or any of us isn’t the answer. It’s her that needs to be put down. Help us find her and end her the way she deserves. Take your revenge for the tragedy you’ve been through on her”, Dean finishes and he can see that his words are truly affecting the werewolf, but right when Lucifer starts to respond a loud bang comes from the door and then Bobby with another man barge into the building. The moment Lucifer takes in the picture of the newcomers Dean sees his eyes go wide and before he has a chance to react, Lucifer runs and disappears in the shadows, while the man that came with Bobby runs after him.

“Dean, are you okay?” Bobby asks, running close to him, but Dean can only stare after where Lucifer disappeared and seems lost.  
“Come on. Let’s get you and your brother out of here. We cleared the area. There’s no need for you to worry”, the older man says, but what he doesn’t seem to realize is that Dean isn’t worried about himself anymore, but about what will happen to Lucifer.


	21. One Big Happy Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all the comments, the bookmarks and the subscriptions!  
> Thank you for helping me reach a thousand kudos! You're all awesome!  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

The sun has just started setting behind the trees, when suddenly the sound of a car comes from somewhere near the camp and Cas, unable to wait a second longer than he already has, jumps up from where he’s been sitting on the couch in the Alpha’s living room for the past hour and runs outside with Michael and Gabriel hot on his heels.

“Cas, wait”, one of his brothers yells, but Cas is hearing none of it.

“It’s Dean. I know it is. I can feel him”, Cas shouts back, without looking at them and sure enough, a moment later, a truck enters the camp and then they see it park in front of Charlie’s cabin.

Cas runs with all his strength to get to Dean and the moment the passenger door opens and Dean gets out, the Omega is in the human’s arms, clinging to him like his life depends on it.

“Hey”, Dean’s voice comes out a little broken as he tightens his grip around the Omega lifting him from the ground, while the boy brings both arms and legs around his neck and middle.

“I missed you. Are you okay?” Cas asks and Dean can’t help the little sob that escapes him, when he nods, hiding his face in the Omega’s hair.

“I am now”, he says and a single tear makes its way down his handsome face.

“We need to take him inside before the sedatives wear off”, an old man’s voice that Cas does not recognize comes then from the other side of the car and when he turns to look, he sees the old man that just spoke help another stranger carry the unconscious body of Dean’s brother, Sam, out of the truck.

“Dean, what happened to your brother?” the Omega murmurs frightened, tightening his grip on Dean.

“They made him turn. He’s just like dad now, only worse”, Dean says, surprising himself with finding the strength and will to speak about it, while he watches Bobby and his until now unknown grandfather and brother from his previous life take Sam inside Charlie’s cabin, as he instructed them to do when they reached the camp, since he knew that there wasn’t any more room in Missouri’s where his father still is.

“He’s a werewolf?” Cas manages to ask and looks too dumbstruck to say anything else, while the three men disappear behind the door along with his two brothers.

“Yes, he is”, Dean murmurs with his face still buried in the boy’s hair, breathing him in like he’s trying to make sure that Cas is really safe and sound in his arms.

“I’m so sorry. I know you didn’t want this for your family”, Cas says and mirrors Dean’s actions, scenting the human’s neck, all of the sudden terrified of the idea that this could have happened to Dean. Even though he would love for Dean to be just like him, he would never risk it, if it meant that he could lose him altogether. If it meant that Dean might never come back to himself or even worse than that, die.

“It’s okay. I’m sure Sammy will be just fine. He’s always been the strong one. He’ll get through it”, Dean says back, but it sounds more like he’s trying to convince himself than reassure Cas.

“He will”, Cas tells him with confidence and looks Dean in the eyes, before he wipes away his tear with his thumb.

“Can we go somewhere? Alone?” Dean asks while staring right back into Cas’ eyes, surprising him. Cas assumed that the human would want to be with his brother now or even go and see the rest of his family, but the fact that he wants to be just with him puts a smile on his face.

“Yeah… Do you want to go and sit at our spot by the river?” Cas suggests and Dean nods, before leaning in and capturing the boy’s lips in a tender kiss.

“Yes, let’s go”, the human agrees and lets Cas stand on his two own feet, before he takes his hand and they both head towards the woods and the river.

 

~*~

 

When they reach the river, the serenity of the forest around him strips Dean of all the terrible thoughts he’s been having, regarding Sam, his dad and last but not least Lucifer. Here there’s only him and Cas. Ever since Bobby told him their story, Dean hasn’t stopped thinking that he’s already way too deep when it comes to the boy and that even though the last time Cas disappeared he handled it, he coped with it -although he never stopped searching for him- now he couldn’t take it. If he was to lose Cas again, he would certainly go mad. For weeks now he has been feeling this shift in their dynamic. Ever since their first kiss at Cas’ birthday. Slowly but surely Cas became a priority in Dean’s life, the one he cared about the most, even above his own family.

“Do you want to go in? The stream isn’t too strong here”, Dean suggests, after taking a deep breath of the fresh night air that’s surrounding them.

“Won’t it be too cold for you? I’m a werewolf and I’m way warmer and I won’t feel it, but you… The sun has already set. It would be too chilly for you”, Cas explains, but Dean looks like he’s already made up his mind.

“I’ll have you to warm me up. Besides I feel kinda hot, I want to go in”, the man says and then starts unbuttoning his shirt.

“Wait… you’re taking your clothes off?” Cas asks, his eyes following closely the movement of the human’s hands.

“If they get wet that’s when I’ll get cold and sick. I just want to get in the river, not catch pneumonia. I suggest you do the same”, Dean replies and after taking his shirt off, he reaches for the belt of his jeans, while Cas looks transfixed with what’s happening.

Although he has seen Dean with just his briefs before, during the time of his first heat, when Dean was trying to help him through it without touching him too much, he’s never had the chance to see him that way again and that was years ago, when he was way younger and when he didn’t have the relationship he has with Dean now. Even during the nights that they spend sleeping in the same bed, Dean is always fully clothed and so is Cas. This is pretty much the first time in years that they’ll be seeing each other in so little clothing.

“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to come in?” the human asks after getting carefully inside the water that now reaches his middle. His chest is so broad and his body so muscular that Cas loses his train of thought for a moment.

“Oh… yes, of course, I’m coming”, the boy mumbles, feeling his cheeks and ears burn hot with embarrassment as he fumbles awkwardly with his clothes. The moment he’s down to his briefs like Dean, he looks one last time at the human who is staring at the darkness around them while pouring water on his chest and shoulders. Then, after taking a deep breath, Cas wastes no more time and joins Dean inside the river, feeling relieved by the water’s coolness on his burning skin.

When Cas gets close to him, Dean says nothing but keeps staring inside the boy’s eyes like all of the sudden he sees something different than before he knew everything. Even the dreams and all the memories he has had on his own weren’t enough to bring the clarity he’s feeling right now. It feels as if Bobby’s words broke that dam inside his mind and now he can truly see Cas for what and who he really is; his true mate and the love of his life and before he can even think of what he’s doing, his mouth is hungrily devouring Castiel’s, who in turn moans with pent up emotion.

In the heat of the moment, Dean grabs Cas by his hips and brings him closer to his body, never stopping his assault on the boy’s mouth, while Cas goes willingly to him and even tries to wrap his legs around the human’s middle, causing him to lose his balance.

“No, stop, I can’t…” Dean says then suddenly, coming back to his senses and pushes Cas back.  
“God, what am I doing?” he whispers to himself -although Cas hears him clearly- as his eyes fill with tears. The Omega looks at him broken and keeps breathing erratically.

“Dean, stop feeling guilty. I know you need this. It’s okay. I am meant for you. Why should we wait?” the boy finds the strength to ask after a moment, as he reaches for Dean’s hands that are covering the human’s face.

When he takes them in his own, Dean turns his embarrassed eyes on Cas’ blue ones.  
“We should wait because you’re precious to me. You’re everything to me and I would never do anything to hurt you. I don’t want to take away your innocence, Cas. I was weak, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again. I just… there are so many feelings inside my heart and my head right now that for a moment I couldn’t control them. I’m so sorry”, he says and then hugs Cas tightly to his body.

“I hate this”, Cas mutters with his face on Dean’s naked chest.

“What?” Dean asks hurt and pushes Cas back a little to look inside his eyes.

“No, I don’t mean us. I just wish we were born at the right time. If we were, none of this would be an issue. If you were younger or if I was older, we could truly be together and we wouldn’t have to hold back or feel guilty about it”, Cas explains and Dean’s eyes turn soft.

“I know, I hate it too, but… it doesn’t matter, because in the end we’ll be together and all this will be worth it. I’m just glad that I have you here safe and sound in my arms. That’s all I need for now. It’s all I can ask for”, Dean reassures him and hugs him again, kissing the top of his head.

“I met your mom”, Cas confesses out of the blue and he feels Dean tense around his body.

“Oh… I… Was she kind to you? I mean I’m sure she was, she’s my mom, she’s great, but… this is a weird situation, I guess”, Dean says and rubs Cas’ back with his hands.

“She didn’t know who I was. I didn’t tell her. She assumed that I was one of your mate’s little brothers”, Cas admits and he sounds sad.

Dean exhales loudly before he kisses the Omega’s dark hair again.  
“I’m sorry, Cas. I wish I was with you, when you first met her. I don’t want you to feel bad about it. My mom, even though she knew about dad’s secret all this time, is still a human and she’s not so familiar with wolf habits. It might take her some time to accept that you’re so young. I’m sure she’ll love you, if you give her the chance to get to know you. She already knows everything we’ve been through and that we’re meant for each other, so even if she feels uncomfortable with it, she will accept it.”

“I hope you’re right, because I’m tired of other people getting between us. We already have issues on our own, I don’t need others lecturing us as well. I’m so tired of this, I just want to be yours already”, Cas says grumpily and kisses Dean’s chest tenderly. Dean just smiles and tightens his hold around him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone get between us and we won’t have to wait too long. In a few months you’ll be twelve and a half and before you know it you’ll be thirteen, then fourteen. Isn’t that right?” Dean asks and he feels Cas nod against him.  
“Didn’t I promise you?”

“You did.”

“What did I promise you?”

“On my fourteenth birthday.”

“On your fourteenth birthday”, Dean agrees and then they both let a content sigh escape their lips.

 

~*~

 

When they get back to the camp, they choose to go to Charlie’s cabin, which is where they took Sam earlier, figuring most of the other guys will still be there and also because now that he’s had some time alone with Cas, Dean needs desperately to check on his baby brother.

“Hello?” the human says when he enters, his hand holding tightly on Castiel’s own.  
“Charlie?” he asks, closing the door behind them when suddenly he hears fast footsteps coming from the other room and before he knows it his mother is gathering him in her arms in a tight embrace and Dean hugs her back.

“Dean”, she says relieved and looks reluctant to let him go. All the while completely ignoring Cas -who stands awkwardly next to Dean- as if she hasn’t even noticed he’s there. Maybe she really hasn’t.

“Mom, it’s okay, I’m here. Sammy is here. We’re going to be okay”, he says reassuringly, while caressing her hair soothingly.

“Where have you been? I was with Jess and your father when someone came to tell us you and Sam were here and after I saw Sam, I looked and asked for you, but nobody knew where you had gone to”, she says almost accusingly, but Dean understanding all the pressure she’s under, looks at her apologetically.

“I’m sorry, mom. How is Sammy and dad?”

“They’re okay. They’re stable for now. Your father woke up earlier for a little while and he saw me and spoke to me, but the woman who looks after him said that we shouldn’t pressure him and gave him some tea with a weird herb in it and he fell asleep again. Sam hasn’t woken up yet. Bobby and Henry say he’s alright though. What about you? Are you alright?” she asks then and caresses his cheek.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m sorry I left. I know I should have come find you as soon as I came at the camp, but I was too stressed and I needed some time on my own”, he explains and he can immediately see the change in his mother’s face.

“You mean you needed some time alone with your mate”, Mary says and smiles up at him.  
“It’s okay, Dean. I know how you feel. You might not be a full wolf, but I know how these things work. You’re just like your father. There was a time when he needed me to be around him all the time.”

“Yeah, uh… about that. I’d like you to meet someone very important to me”, Dean says then awkwardly and turns his head towards Cas. Mary only now seems to notice that there is another person in the room with them.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. We met earlier actually. You’re Castiel’s little brother? By the way, where is Castiel? I’ve been here all day and I still haven’t met her”, she says and looks at Dean at the end.

“Uh… mom, Castiel is a ‘he’. He’s not a girl”, Dean explains and takes again Cas’ hand in his own, but the movement seems to go unnoticed by his mother.

“Oh… I just thought… Never mind. It’s just when I heard the story they were all calling Castiel as the Omega and it never occurred to me and you never really showed any interest… I mean. It’s fine, obviously. Forgive me for my mistake. I…” she keeps rambling, until suddenly Dean’s words click inside her head and she looks at their joined hands and then turns her eyes on Cas, who in turn stubbornly stares at the floor.

“You have actually… met him I mean. This is Castiel. My Cas”, Dean says hesitantly and brings the Omega closer to him.

Mary keeps staring at the boy, who is still unable to look at her, and then she suddenly turns her gaze to her son and slaps him hard across the face, before they’re all immersed in silence.  
“How could you?” she asks after a while. She can’t believe her son would ever be capable of this and there are actual tears forming in her eyes. Dean can feel his face turning red from the slap and from embarrassment, but doesn’t have the heart to look at her. He deserves this and everything she’s about to tell him. He was only just now kissing sweet little innocent Cas in a river with almost no clothes on, after all.  
“He’s only a boy, Dean. How could you?” she asks again and her voice breaks.  
“Have you slept with him?” she demands to know and only now Dean turns to look at her in an attempt to explain himself.

“No, mom, I’ve only kissed him. We haven’t…” Dean tries to say, but another hard slap from his mother shuts him up.

“Stop touching him”, she screams to him then, when she realizes how close to him the boy still is and takes Castiel’s hand from her son’s and brings the Omega to her, hugging him protectively to her body.  
“I can’t believe you would fall so low. You couldn’t wait a few years? He’s only a child, Dean. I don’t care what your past with him is. All I know is that in this life he is a little boy and I won’t let you defile him because of some stupid prophecy or destiny or whatever this thing that has ruined our family is. If you want to be with him, you’ll have to wait for him to grow up”, she says and she sounds disgusted, while she can feel Cas trembling at her side.

Dean’s eyes can’t hold the tears anymore and they run freely down his stinging face.  
“I… I think I’ll go see Sam”, he says without looking at her and as he walks away, all the while feeling his mother’s glare on him, he only just then realizes that everyone is standing awkwardly in the room staring at them with wide eyes. And when his meet Michael’s and Gabriel’s, it’s the first time he feels any kind of sympathy coming from them.


	22. Wolf Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been (in Dean's words) a long, long, long, long, long, long, long while, but I want to finish this at some point, so here's another chapter! ;-)  
> Thanks to everyone who is still reading this story!

Dean can still feel the sting on his cheek as he’s staring helpless at his sleeping brother. Every time he thinks that he has made some progress or that he now perhaps understands better the situation he is in, something always pulls him right back where he began. Feeling uncertain and alone.

On one hand, his feelings for Cas have never been clearer in his mind. He knows he is his mate and that he loves him with all his being. He knows that if it came down to it again, he would give his life for him, just like he did last time. But on the other hand, he can’t ignore his mother’s words either. He remembers how he felt, when all of this started, even though it seems like ages ago, and he doesn’t blame her. If he could, he would have punched all of them too, back then, for even suggesting that he’d ever want to try and have anything with Cas. And although he’s never stopped fighting in order to protect Castiel’s innocence, maybe somewhere along the way, everything he’s learned and all the memories that have come back to him have created a lapse in his judgement. Perhaps he has spent so much time with the wolves that he actually forgot how to be a human and how to think like one.

“She’s not right, you know,” a voice startles him and pulls him out of his thoughts. He forgot he wasn’t alone in the room. Henry has his back against the wall and looks at him intently as Dean sits stiffly next to Sam’s bed.

“Isn’t she, though?” is all he can say in return.

“No. I know what you’re thinking. She’s suddenly reminded you of all your human values and beliefs, but those things don’t apply here, Dean. Trust me. I’ve lived in both worlds to know how different they are. The same way human rules don’t apply to animals, they don’t apply to werewolves either. Because when it comes to our species, we’re more animals than not. Werewolves have lived for thousands of years according to the rules of the pack, of the wolves. We’re not people. Mary can’t see that. She doesn’t understand that, because being human is all she’s ever known. She is not equipped to understand how you feel, because she has never felt it.”

“She’s not the only one who’s human. So am I. And maybe there is werewolf blood running through my veins, but I’ve lived all my life as a human. I should know better. I shouldn’t forget and let myself fall victim to my desires and my passion.”

“You’re right. You have lived all your life as a human, but ever since you came here and you came in touch with them, that blood that runs through your veins has changed you. You may think that this is all in your head, the same way it is for a human. These growing feelings you have for Castiel, your attraction to him. But they’re not. You’re not an ordinary human being, Dean. This isn’t about some chemicals in your brain that make you like someone and then eventually fade. There is magic in a werewolf’s blood. Our whole biology and existence depends on having a mate. We simply cannot survive without having one and we die, if we don’t manage to find them. For you it’s even worse than that. You and Castiel are soulmates and even if you try to fight it, you’ll never make it.”

“You don’t know that. I’ve tried and made it work in the past. I can resist it for as long as I have to and make everyone happy in the process,” Dean isn’t sure he believes it himself. He feels he is too far gone to stay away from Cas now, but for his mother’s sake and for Castiel’s he is willing to try, even if it seems impossible right now.

“That may have been true in the past, but I’m afraid things are different now.”

Henry’s words anger Dean, because he feels like he’s reading his mind. Like he can see his struggle and he can already tell that Dean will never win this fight against his wolf instincts.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Dean, this spell -this sigil on your chest that keeps you from turning- was never meant to be a permanent solution. You were always meant to become who you were supposed to be. You just needed to be hidden for a while and this was the only way,” Henry says and Dean, leaving Sam’s side, turns to look at him confused.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean? I still have it and it’s working just fine. If it didn’t, I would be like Sam and my dad.”

“No. You’ll never become like them. You don’t have to worry about that and you don’t have to worry anymore about removing it or not either. I’m afraid the pack hasn’t been very helpful, because none of them know. I’m the only one who knows about the sigil, due to my time studying with the Men of Letters, and I have kept its real purpose from everyone, until now,” Henry says and sensing Dean’s confusion continues.

“The sigil only protected you while you lived among humans. From the moment you came here to live with the pack, your wolf side started getting stronger and burning the sigil away from the inside out. It will continue to do so until there is nothing left and then, you will safely turn into a wolf yourself without having to worry about going rogue and feral. You will be you, just new and improved. I can guarantee that.”

“And what about Sam and my father? Are they ever going to get past this?”

“They will. They just need time. You must understand that the sigil was never supposed to be burnt off. It needs time to leave your body by itself. You have had years of exposure with the wolves and slowly but surely the sigil started wearing off in their presence and turning you. The fact that you met your mate might also have sped up the process. Your father, however, has had zero exposure for years and as for Sam, he has never had any. So when the sigil was forcibly removed, they turned feral. But if we give them a little more time with the pack, they should be fine.”

“So, you mean they will be like this for years? I still have the sigil on my chest and I’ve been here for ages.”

“No. Now that the sigil is gone, a few days or weeks should do the trick. It takes years only if you let it leave your system on its own. Naturally. I’m sure if you wanted to remove it now, after all this time you’ve spent here, you would have no problem turning. But of course that’s up to you. Your father has already started getting better. And I’m sure the same thing will happen with Sam. They’re both fighters and they come from the strongest bloodline there is.”

“But, I don’t understand. If Bobby is a werewolf, why didn’t we turn because of him? He’s been close to us our whole lives.”

“You need a pack to break that kind of magic. A werewolf or two would never have any effect on the sigil.”

“So, Sam will be okay?” Dean asks and for the first time today, he feels like a weight has been lifted off his chest. At least he can stop worrying about this and focus on all his other problems.

“Yes. I’m sure he’ll be just fine,” Henry reassures him and when Dean meets his gaze next, the werewolf looks like he already knows what he means to ask him.

“Earlier today… what happened with Lucifer? Where did he go? Was he alright?” the human asks and he can’t help the way his voice trembles when the words come out of his lips.

“I know you want to save him, Dean, but I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do about him. You can’t trust him. He’s too far gone to listen to reason. He’s spent all his life looking for revenge and he won’t stop until he gets it.”

“Yes, but that’s the thing. All this time he’s been looking for revenge in the wrong place. I told him that. I know he’s smart and he can see it for himself. He might change his mind. Maybe he’ll help us. It doesn’t have to be like that. We don’t have to be enemies. He’s my son and he’s suffered enough as it is.”

“I know you want to believe that, but today was not the first time I saw him. Over the years I’ve encountered him many times and every time he seemed worse than the last. He put his trust in all the wrong people and they’ve ruined every good thing there was about him.”

“No, I refuse to believe that. I saw it in his eyes. My Nicky is still somewhere in there,” Dean says, shaking his head stubbornly. He can’t- he won’t abandon his son now that he has found him. Even if Nick thinks that the Dean of now is not his father.

“Do you think I should do it? Remove the sigil I mean. Would that help me get all my memories back? If I had my memories, perhaps I could help him more. It could help us reconnect.”

Henry stares inside his eyes as he answers.

“My opinion is that you should do it. I don’t know, if it will help you reconnect with Nicklaus. I honestly think he’s a lost cause, but- we will need you to be as strong as you can be for whatever it is that’s coming. And I can feel that there is something ominous coming our way and we’re going to need our Alpha to get through it.”

“Why do I feel like there’s a _but_ coming?”

“But... if you do decide to do it, any hope of holding back will vanish, and I know it’s not what you want.”

“Holding back from what?”

“From Castiel,” Henry clarifies and Dean can feel all the blood drain from his face.

“I thought you said trying to stop it is pointless anyway.”

“I did. But you must understand the seriousness of it. ‘Cause now you may think I’m just overreacting and that you’ll be actually able to control yourself. But it’s not just about control. If you turn now, Castiel will go into heat and you will have no choice but to mate him, because otherwise it will be life threatening for the both of you. Whatever he’s doing now to get through his heats won’t matter once you’ve turned. The need will be too much. There are no potions known to anybody, witch or doctor, not even the Men of Letters, that will be able to stop such need. You have already bonded, even without a ceremony. I can feel it. I felt it the moment I first saw the two of you together. Your names are already branded on both of your souls.”

“So if I don’t turn he’ll be alright?”

“While you’re human, his heats are not threatening for you, but for him- He may have managed to get through previous heats without you having to mate him but now, I’m afraid you’ve reached such an emotional bonding level that it could be catastrophic for him. We can’t really know.”

“I promised him that we would wait until he’s fourteen. My mother-”

“I’m afraid you don’t have that much time. Any day now he could go into heat. _Us_ being here, all these new werewolves in his pack, some of us alphas, could push him to have one even sooner. Omegas often feel threatened when there are changes of this scale in their pack. They feel the need to be claimed to be reassured of where they belong.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“We’ll give your father and your brother a few days to recover and then you and Castiel must have the mating ceremony. I don’t see any other way. The ceremony alone should help you reconnect with your past self and gain your memories without turning, but my opinion is that afterwards you should also remove the sigil. Having your memories back without being able to do anything about them is pointless. Besides those memories could be too much for your human mind to handle. It will be safer for you, if you just turn. Your father and brother have already turned. There’s no reason for you to be holding back from your destiny,” he says and when he sees Dean’s panicked look, he adds “Bobby and I will talk to your mother. Don’t worry. She doesn’t have to like it. She only needs to understand that she’s missing the point here. She only needs to know that it’s necessary.”

“Yeah, good luck with that…” Dean mutters.

“I know you’re scared, but I promise you everything will be alright. You’re much stronger than you think and when you get your memories back you’ll see that I’m right,” Henry tells him and prepares to leave the room.

“Henry,” Dean calls for him then and the werewolf turns around and watches him carefully.

“Thank you… for being here. For helping me with this.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything. I’ve waited a really long time to be reunited with my family and finally be of use,” he says and smiles at Dean, before he turns to face the door again and his hand pauses on the doorknob.

“It’s good to have you back, brother,” Henry adds and then he opens the door and finally leaves.

 

~*~

****

_…SEVEN WEEKS LATER…_

_He feels a soft breeze moving his hair and as he opens his eyes, he squints against the brightness of the sun. He lies in a field he does not recognize and immediately he knows it’s a dream. A place from his old memories. He’s learned a long time ago not to freak out when this happens, so he relaxes once more against the grass._

_“I’ve missed seeing you like this,” a voice comes from next to him, and when he turns, he sees Castiel smiling sweetly at him._

_“Cas?” he asks surprised._

_“How are you here? Did I enter Cas’ dream again?”_

_Castiel seems to enjoy the confusion and the delight that is obvious in Dean’s eyes._

_“No, actually. You brought me into one of yours. I sensed that you needed me. So, here I am.”_

_“But I thought Cas had suppressed you,” Dean says, looking more confused than before._

_“He has. I can’t live through his dreams or wolf anymore, but somehow you managed to pull me into your own consciousness,” Castiel answers and before Dean knows what he’s doing, he’s on him, his lips devouring the omega’s, who has now fallen with his back on the grass._

_Dean feels him smiling against his lips and he pulls back to look at him. He never thought he’d see him again. Cas made it clear to him that he didn’t want to feel the control of his old self anymore and even though that upset Dean, he knew it was probably for the best. He didn’t want Cas to suffer anymore._

_“As much as I like kissing you, I’m not here for this,” Castiel tells him, and Dean disentangles himself from the omega and sits properly next to him, while Castiel does the same._

_“I just never thought I’d see you again,” Dean admits and can’t help the longing look in his eyes._

_“I know you know what happened,” Castiel says, avoiding Dean’s gaze._

_“You remembered,” Dean mutters. It’s not a question._

_“Yes, I did- and then I found out the rest through you. I felt your desperation through our bond. It made me remember and the things I couldn’t have known were thrust in my mind, because someone told **you**. Because **you** knew. I… I’m sorry, Dean. It was all my fault.”_

_“No, don’t say that. None of this was your fault,” Dean argues as he cups Castiel’s face with his palm._

_“Yes it was. I ruined our family. You and our children died because of me,” Castiel says and tears start forming in his eyes._

_“No, my love. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known. Our children’s death had nothing to do with you. If anything, I’m the one to blame. I’m the one who broke your deal with that witch and she took them from us. All because I was weak and couldn’t live without you. You’re the only one who tried to do something to save them.”_

_“Our son, Nicky- I… I destroyed him,” Castiel whispers and the tears are now falling freely down his face._

_“I found him, Cas. He’s alive. Our son is alive,” Dean tells him then and Castiel stares disbelievingly inside his eyes._

_“What? Nicky is alive?” he asks and he can’t help the way his voice breaks._

_“Yes, he is. I’ll bring him back to us. Everything will be fine, I promise.”_

_“Our other children-” Castiel starts to say, and Dean can see the hope in his eyes._

_“I’m afraid they didn’t make it. I’m sorry,” Dean cuts him off and looks at the ground, not wanting to see the sadness return to Castiel’s eyes._

_“It’s alright. I should know better than to hope for more. But- where did you find Nicky and why isn’t he with you?”_

_“It’s a long story, Cas, but know that I’m going to do everything in my power to bring him back to us and to protect him. I promise you,” Dean assures him and as he says this, he can feel the dream become blurry around him._

_“No, please. Not yet-” he says to no one in particular, as he looks desperately around him. Castiel only smiles sadly at him._

_“I’ll be here waiting for you to come back. ‘Till next time, my love,” the omega tells him and then everything becomes dark._

Dean opens his eyes and realizes that he’s still lying on the couch in front of his muted television, and tries to shake off the disappointment of waking up from his dream. Slowly, he lets out a sigh and covers his face with his hands, before he sits upright and turns his head to stare at the familiar ceiling of the cabin’s living room. These days it feels as if this cabin is the only constant and familiar thing in his life, with all the change that has been going around with all the members of his family. So, he’s glad he’s finally back here and out of Chuck’s house.

It hasn’t been long since he’s been given back his old cabin. The moment the new cabins were built, every new member of the pack was appointed one. His family was given two new cabins and Dean himself was offered another. Although he couldn’t wait to get out of the alpha’s house, he refused the new cabin and instead he asked to move back here and from the moment he did, his troubles began.

First it was Meg, who didn’t want to move out. But after a few discussions and mostly because it was what Cas wanted too, she agreed and was given the new cabin while Dean packed up his belongings to move back in with the omega. The next and biggest problem, however, was his mother.

To say she didn’t take the news about the ceremony and turning into a wolf part well would be an understatement. But eventually, and especially with John and Sam’s recovery and the support they showed him, she caved, because she probably realized that it’s something unavoidable that has to be done. But when she found out about them moving in together and a lot sooner than the ceremony itself, she became furious again. So much that it was probably a good thing he told her in front of his father or she would have hit him again, if John hadn’t held her back.

At first, Dean was afraid that his father would have the same reaction his mother had, if the way he had talked about Cas in his delirious state when he had first arrived at the camp was any indication. But Henry’s presence and the conversation they had—which Dean was not a part of—along with the fact that he was now himself again and not a feverish mess seemed to have changed his mind. Also John being a wolf, probably helped him understand more and it was easier for him to relate.

As for his brother, Dean cannot honestly understand how he’s taking everything so well. It’s odd, watching him like this. Because even though, in the ways that matter, he acts the same as always, in some ways he is so much different than before. For example, it amazes Dean how naturally fighting in his wolf form, during his training sessions with Gabriel, Henry and his dad, has come to Sam, as if he has always done it. But in a weird way it makes sense. Sam always sort of felt like he didn’t belong and that there was something missing. His brother had talked to him about it in the past and now Dean can actually see what he meant. Sam seems to be finally whole and happy and although Dean wants to be happy for him too, he finds it unnerving how easy all this change has come to him and he can’t help but wonder, if this will be the case for him as well, when he turns.

At the thought of turning, Dean finds himself back to the present. With the ceremony being only a week away, it’s not really a surprise he feels so pressured. It’s probably what Castiel meant when he said he could feel that Dean needed him, when he appeared in his dream. The realization makes him want to try and fall asleep and see, if he can get Castiel to appear again, since going to see the real Cas, who is sleeping right in the next room, is not an option. This is the one promise he made to his mother and he intends to keep it.

As he settles back down to sleep, however, not two minutes after he closes his eyes, there is a knock on the door. Being afraid that whoever it is at this ungodly hour will wake up Cas, he runs and opens the door quietly, only to find Charlie looking at him wide eyed and a little disheveled.

“What’s wrong?” he asks her, concerned.

“I found a way. Henry and I… we found a way. We know how to keep Cas from having a heat. We have finally done it,” she answers with a smile firmly plastered on her face, while Dean can do nothing but stare at her with an open mouth.


	23. The Spell

Dean stares at Charlie, while she stands on his porch looking as if she can’t hold back her excitement anymore.

“You found a way? I thought there was no way. Henry said—”

Charlie places a hand on his chest to move him out of the way, before she enters his cabin and turns to look at him again, her smile widening. Dean quickly closes the door behind him, waiting impatiently for her to continue.

“I know, he had given up. He didn’t think there was anything to be done. But after I found out about the ceremony, I knew what it’d mean for Cas, and I just couldn’t let it go. If I did, I knew it would destroy you. I know how conflicted you are. I know you want to do the right thing and also I know how your mother feels about this. So, I asked Henry for access to his books and he agreed. He took me inside the secret Men of Letters bunker, and he helped me look. And it finally paid off. After endless days of pointless search, we found a spell.”

“What kind of spell?”

“A spell that ties Cas’ heats to your status. Until you turn yourself, even with the ceremony performed, Cas won’t have another heat. He will be safe, until you are ready to turn and there’s no reason for you to rush turning. You can have the ceremony now to gain your memories, both of your memories, but without the consequences. It will help you bond and perhaps find a way to fight the witch, without having to fear about mating him.”

“I—I don’t know what to say. What—when can we do it? The ceremony is five days away. Are you sure the spell will be safe for Cas? It’s not dangerous, is it?”

“No no, don’t worry. It’s perfectly safe. Henry knows his stuff and he has complete faith in the spell. It will only take a few drops of your blood and Castiel’s to bind him to you. And the moment you turn completely and the werewolf magic alters your blood to its full potential, Castiel will be free to go into heat.”

“But Henry told me that I would have to turn. He told me it was pointless to remain a human after the ceremony. He told me that the pack would need me, to defend them from what’s coming.”

“Dean, I’m not trying to insult you here, but we can take care of ourselves. And maybe you turning will put us in more danger. All we need is your memories to help us defend the pack. Your turning might be the thing that brings everything down on us. Maybe the only reason nothing serious has happened yet is the fact that you remain human. Plus, we found another spell to help your human brain contain the centuries’ worth of memories that will flood your mind after the ceremony without breaking. So, you won’t even need to turn. Not unless when you truly want to. And Dorothy swears by this one!”

“Wait—who the hell is Dorothy?” Dean asks her confused, after he tries to process all the information in his sleepy state, and if possible, Charlie becomes even more excited.

“Oh, I’m glad you asked. Dorothy Baum is the lovely daughter of one of the men of letters. She refuses to call herself a woman of letters, since she considers them to be more librarians than anything else and she herself is way more adventurous than your average librarian, but she has a lot of knowledge studying next to her father and Henry knows her since she was a little girl and trusts her, and—”

“Yeah, okay! Charlie, take a breath!” Dean ends her rambling, before giving her an odd look. He can already see her face turning red.

“Wait… are you and her—do you like her?” he asks her, looking at her with wide eyes.

“Why, Dean? You think you’re the only one with the right in werewolf/human relationships? It’s not like we’re all that different. I’m a beta so I don’t have the same urges alphas and omegas have. I can swing whichever way I want, werewolf or human, now that the taboo has been lifted, especially if it’s a girl and there’s no fear of procreation.”

“It’s not what I meant—I just… I didn’t know you were into girls, that’s all. I’ve never seen you with anyone.”

“Well, we’re a small community. It’s not like I have a lot of options here, and my partners and I mostly keep to ourselves and have our fun. I’m a free spirit like that. Besides, like you’re the one to talk. You and Cas are both male and I don’t see you or anyone else questioning it.”

“That’s different. Cas is an omega.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Dean. Are you trying to tell me that if Cas was older and you were both humans, you wouldn’t like him like that?” Charlie asks, raising an eyebrow at him, while Dean considers her words for a second.

“If Cas was human and he was the same age as the one from my dreams, I’d be completely and utterly crazy about him. Even without our biology bringing us together. I know I would. I love him, and perhaps at first the knowledge that he was an omega helped me accept it more easily, but now I know I don’t care about it. I’d still love him even if he was an alpha or if he was a human,” Dean replies with certainty.

“You two _are_ perfect for each other! I knew you were. You’ve come a long way, Dean, and I couldn’t have hoped for a better mate for Cas. Us werewolves are more open-minded creatures when it comes to the matters of the heart than humans tend to be, but I’m glad to see you embracing it as well, after having lived all your life as a straight man.”

“Humans can be open-minded too. Just because I hadn’t done anything like that before doesn’t mean I had a problem with it,” Dean argues, pouting at her.

“No, I know they can, and I know you were, I’m just glad to finally see you this comfortable in your own skin.”

“I have way too many problems to add this on top of everything else. Being with a guy was my last and least concern when it came to Cas. You know what’s been eating at me.”

“That he’s a child.”

“Yeah…” Dean mutters, feeling resigned.

“But you can put that past you now. The spell will work,” Charlie says reassuringly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“It might, but I’ll still have to wait a long time before I can finally be with him. Sometimes I wish I was raised a wolf. Maybe then he could have come sooner into my life. Maybe then we could have been closer in age, like all the other times before.”

“I know it’s hard, loving him without actually being able to be with him, but maybe it’s for the best. All those other times didn’t prove to be that lucky for either of you. Perhaps this time had to be different, so that you could survive. So, that you could win. Your brother or grandfather—whatever you want to call him—went into great lengths to protect you and keep this tragic story from repeating itself. And I know you have doubts, but I’m positive that this time we’ll succeed. This time we’re prepared. We’re not going in blind. We know what to expect and we’re ready,” Charlie says and Dean can’t help but smile at her. She always knows the right thing to say to make him feel better.

“Charlie, in case I haven’t said this before, thank you for being so awesome. Thank you for being my friend and for always looking out for Cas.”

“You’re welcome! And I love you too,” she says and winks at him, before she moves back to the front door.

“It’s late. I’d better go. I couldn’t wait until morning to tell you the news, but now I really need to go to sleep. It’s been too many sleepless nights studying by Dorothy’s side,” she adds, looking like she’s daydreaming for a moment. 

“Okay, goodnight—oh, and Charlie? You should bring that Dorothy chick by sometime. Since I take it she knows all about werewolves, maybe you should invite her to the ceremony. I’d like to meet her.”

Charlie smiles widely at him, returning Dean’s own smile.

“Sure thing, Dean. I’ll see what I can do. Goodnight!”

 

~*~

 

When Dean’s left alone, although he tries, he can’t go back to sleep, and so he finds himself in front of Cas’ door, which after a while, he hesitantly opens. Once inside, the sleeping form of the boy with the moonlight shining over him comes into focus and immediately Dean feels his purpose returning and he knows that all that he’s going through is worth it. Even if nothing ever happens between them, he feels good knowing Cas is safe and that he’ll stop at nothing to protect him from everything and everyone, even if it means Dean himself.

“Dean?” Cas asks sleepily, after he slowly opens his eyes as if sensing him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I just wanted to make sure you were alright,” Dean answers softly, but he makes no move to leave the room and instead goes closer to the bed where Cas is lying.

“I don’t mind. You already know I wanted us to share the bed,” Cas says and Dean knows there’s nothing he’d want more as well.

“You know we can’t yet, but one day—”

“One day it might be too late. You don’t tell me much, but I’m not stupid. I know there’s something happening. Ever since you returned with your family, you’ve been hiding things from me. And I know your mother doesn’t approve of our relationship, but there’s more to it. There’s something you’re keeping from me.”

“Cas, I don’t want to trouble you with things you can’t yet understand. You don’t have your memories back yet and I know you’ve been struggling with your past self. I just don’t want to pressure you into remembering things before you absolutely have to. The ceremony is in five days. When that happens, you’ll know as much as I do. You’ll know everything, I promise.”

“You know though what the ceremony means, don’t you?” Cas asks, sitting upright on the bed, as he watches Dean closely. “You know what it means for the wolves. What it means for us,” he continues. “It’s not just a way to get our memories back. It’s the ultimate way for two wolves to bond besides mating.”

“Yes, Cas. I know. I understand all the implications of the ceremony.”

“Then you understand what it might mean for me as well. There’s nothing I want more than to bond with you on every level and every way possible and that’s why I agreed to the ceremony to happen this quickly, but you told me that you wanted to wait. You said we’d take the next step when I was fourteen, but if the ceremony happens, I don’t know if I can wait that long. I’ll go into heat, Dean. I’m barely holding it together now that we’re not yet bonded, but when I become yours and you become mine, and we both become one with our past selves, I don’t think I’ll be able to hold back any longer, and I don’t want to suffer because you don’t think it’s the right thing to be with me. By agreeing to the ceremony, I’m risking my life to be with you.”

Hearing his words, Dean closes the little distance that remains between them and sits next to him on the bed, before he takes his hands in his own.

“Cas, listen to me. All you say is true and I’ve been struggling these past few days about what it would mean for us. My grandfather warned me about it. He told me that it would be hard to hold back for both of us once the ceremony was over. He told me that it was a matter of time before you went into heat, and I know that you’ve been trying your hardest to keep that from happening until I’m ready for you, constantly taking the herbs Meg has given you. I swear the last thing I want is for you to suffer. The ceremony has to happen now for reasons I can’t fully explain yet and I know it’s not fair to ask you to wait, when I’m the one who’s pushing you to have the ceremony—”

“Then why wait?” Cas asks, interrupting him, hope blooming in his eyes, while holding tighter onto Dean’s hands. “You said it yourself. It’s inevitable and it’s cruel to expect me to remain as I am now after the ceremony. Whether you’re a wolf or not, our relationship will have to change after we’re bonded. You’ll have to mate me whether you like it or not. We’ve already done things; we’ve kissed and we’ve slept in the same bed and you’ve seen me in heat and naked. And I know I was too little then and I didn’t understand many things and it was probably for the best that nothing happened, but that’s not the case now. I can see that you feel the same way now and you’re resisting me, because you’re afraid of what the rest of the pack and your family will think. But if they agreed to the ceremony, they can’t be that naïve to believe that nothing will happen between us once we’ve bonded.”

“They’re not and they understand the risks if we don’t go through with it, and before tonight I had decided that if it came down to it and you went into heat, I would mate you,” Dean admits, staring into his eyes. It was really hard for him to make that decision, but in the end he decided Cas’ life and wellbeing were more important than his innocence. In addition, he thought that he would be a wolf by then and even if he wanted to, he couldn’t resist him. But now Charlie and Henry’s discovery changed everything.

Cas’ face falls as he looks at him.

“And what happened tonight that changed your mind? Did you decide that you don’t care if I suffer?” he asks, drawing his hands back to his body, a tear almost escaping his eye.

“No, my love. Of course not,” Dean hurries to say, cupping the boy’s face with his hands like Cas is the most precious thing to him. “But there’s been some developments. Charlie and Henry found a spell that will keep you from going into heat until I’m ready to turn.”

“Really?” Cas sounds skeptical.

“Yes. You’ll be fine. There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Dean reassures him. But it doesn’t look like it’s something Cas wants to hear.

“And what makes you think I want that?” the boy asks him, looking pained, as he removes Dean’s hands from his face.

“Cas, I—”

“I feel constantly frustrated and I’m on edge. Ever since I came back, I haven’t had a heat, because I was afraid that the herbs with you here wouldn’t be enough. So me and Meg, we tried everything to keep it from happening. And if it wasn’t for her help, I would have gone into heat a dozen times. I sometimes feel like peeling my skin off, like I need to scratch something I can’t reach and now all you want to do is prolong that feeling. You’re still a human, so you don’t get it, but it’s torturing me.”

“Where you hoping that I changed my mind about waiting because I asked you to have the ceremony?”

“Yes! And that’s why I agreed. That’s also why I wanted us to live together again and asked Meg to move out. Because I thought that things would change. I’ve told you before that it’s difficult for me to have you near me constantly. I had asked you for space for a reason.”

“Listen, Cas. All I’m asking is a little more time. That’s it! I promise you, we’ll be together sooner rather than later, but it’s still too dangerous for us to mate on top of bonding now, and it’s not just because of your age.”

“Is someone trying to hurt us? Like before?” Cas asks and Dean nods hesitantly.

“That’s why we need to have our memories back. For leverage. Once that happens you won’t be in the dark anymore. There are things I’ve told you and others I haven’t, but once you know everything, you’ll understand I’m right,” Dean says and pauses. “You trust me, right?” he asks then and Cas nods, before Dean moves to kiss the top of his head and gathers the boy in his arms.

“I love you, Dean,” Cas tells him, while hugging him back.

“I love you too. And I promise you that we’ll make it. No one will ever get between us and once we defeat our enemies we’ll have our whole lives to live by each other’s side.”

“I know. I believe you!” Cas says and Dean can hear the boy sniffling while hiding in the crook of his neck. “Will you stay with me? Just for tonight?” the boy asks him in a voice that leaves Dean with no choice. The promise to his mother be damned. Tonight he needs to be here for Cas and tomorrow he can go back to keeping his promise. Besides, what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.

“Alright, I’ll stay. Go back to sleep, my love. You need it,” Dean tells him, and after a while he slips under the bed covers himself, hugging Cas close to his body as they both lay next to each other. It’s not long before sleep claims them and they drift into a dreamless world. Unfortunately, Castiel does not visit him again during the rest of the night.

 

~*~

 

“Ow!” Dean yelps, bringing his finger immediately to his mouth, licking the remaining blood off of it. Cas smiles next to him as if he enjoys the human’s reaction.

“Don’t be a baby! It was just a pinch. Cas was braver than you,” Charlie says as she brings the small bowl with Dean’s blood to Henry. Cas’ smile broadens on his face.

“Yeah, well… Cas is a werewolf. It’s different,” Dean grumbles, but he knows Charlie’s words to be true. Cas didn’t even flinch when Charlie pinched his finger with the big needle.

“If you say so,” Charlie says, making fun of him, but then Henry starts chanting something from one of his books and everyone else stops talking. Afterwards, and while still chanting, Henry pours Dean’s blood in the bowl where he poured Cas’ earlier—along with other ingredients—and after a flash of light appears, everything stops.

“It’s done,” Henry informs them.

“That’s it?” Dean asks awkwardly.

“Yes. Both spells are complete. What did you expect? That it would take us all day?” his grandfather says.

“More or less,” Dean confesses.

“Well, when you have the right spell and the right ingredients, it’s practically a done job,” Henry says, before he moves to stand in front of him.

“You don’t have to worry about your memories or Castiel’s heat anymore. You’re both fine and ready for the ceremony. I only ask you to try and remain calm until the ceremony is complete. I disagreed with Charlie at first about you not turning, but since it’s your choice, we don’t want your wolf to suddenly come to the surface after all of our efforts. Before we found the spell I was worried about what it would mean for your brain to perform the ceremony before you’ve turned, but now it’s safe. The memories won’t overwhelm you. But there’s a small chance that the ceremony will cause you to turn anyway, and if that happens, then the spell we did that ties Cas’ heats to your wolf will be pointless. This spells works only as long as you remain human, so it’s up to you to control your feelings and not let them get the better of you.”

“I understand,” Dean tells him, but dark clouds of uncertainty cover his thoughts, before he feels Cas’ small hand in his own. Cas seems to always know when his mind goes to a dark place. Just like his older self does in Dean’s dreams.

“You have a strong will. I’m sure you’ll be fine, but I needed to warn you, just in case,” Henry adds, and Dean can only nod.

In two days’ time the ceremony will happen, and the human knows that whatever its meaning for him and Cas, it will be life-changing. He knows that even if Cas only pretends to support his decision to wait, when he gets his memories back—when he becomes one with Castiel—he will understand and he’ll know why Dean chose to do it. And Dean will finally have them both here where he can protect them and he’ll never let anyone take them away from him ever again. This time, they’ll win.


	24. The Ceremony

Cas sits at the edge of his childhood bed while his family—meaning mostly Tessa and Kali—keep fussing over him, getting him ready for the ceremony, which is less than half an hour away. But even with everyone around him, he feels alone. He hasn’t seen Dean in a while, and although he knows it’s silly to feel this way—since he’s been waiting for this for so long, and now the moment he and Dean will be bonded forever and he’ll get all the answers he’s been searching for is finally so close—he still can’t help this gut feeling that something bad will happen and their happiness will be ruined.

“We’re so proud of you, Cas. You’re about to become bonded with the most important Alpha in all of creation,” Kali says, after giving him a last once over, her eyes misty with unshed tears.

“Oh, please… You despised Dean at the beginning. All of us did, for a long time anyway,” Tessa argues, and even as she says that Cas remembers that perhaps Michael’s wife has always been the one to treat Dean the best from all the members of his family.

“Yes, because we thought him a mere human. And a mere human would never be good enough for our Cas,” Kali defends herself.

“Even so, Cas is just as important. He’s Dean’s soulmate. And if Dean is the first Alpha then Cas is the first Omega, which is a great title in its own right.”

“Of course—” Kali agrees, but Cas is getting tired of this conversation and stops her.

“Where is Meg? I haven’t seen her all day. She said she would be here to prepare me, but it’s almost time and she’s still missing,” Cas asks, worried about his friend. He only hopes Dean did not tell her anything to keep her away from him. The human’s jealousy and prejudice when it comes to her has become more than a little ridiculous.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her. But we’re better off without her anyway. She’s just a wild animal and we’re your family and the honor to prepare you should belong only to members of your family,” Kali says, but before Cas has a chance to react and defend his friend, a knock on the door turns everyone’s attention towards the entrance of the room, where Mary Winchester stands, her knuckles still touching the open door, as if she’s about to knock again.

“I’m sorry. I hope I’m not interrupting, but I wanted to speak to Castiel for a moment,” she says, and after Kali and Tessa exchange a look, they welcome her inside the room.

“You’re not interrupting anything. We were all done anyway,” Tessa assures her and moves to leave, when she notices Kali staying in her place. Cas watches all of them awkwardly.

“I’d like to speak to him in private, if that’s alright,” Mary says, also noticing Kali’s reluctance to leave.

“But of course. We were just leaving. Right, Kali?” Tessa asks, giving Gabriel’s wife a pointed look.

“Yes, we were. Just make sure to make it short. The moon will reach its peak in less than twenty minutes, and the ceremony will have to start,” she tells Mary, looking annoyed and trying to hide it behind pretended politeness. If he didn’t feel so anxious and worried, he would laugh at Kali’s change of heart regarding Dean. From what he’s been told, she became defensive when it came to their relationship overnight, after she found out about Dean’s true nature, and then when Dean’s family arrived at the camp, she started hating on Mary Winchester, thinking she was trying to break him and Dean up. Cas would never think even in his wildest dreams that he would find an ally in his brother’s wife. At least not _this_ brother’s. Tessa was always the kind one and the most protective one. Just like Michael.

“Cas, we’ll be in the living room, if you need anything,” Kali adds, turning to look at him one last time, before she follows Tessa out of the room with her head held high, sparing not even a glance to Dean’s mother. Finally, once they’re alone, Mary enters the room and closes the door behind her.

“They’re going to hear you anyway. The door offers nothing but false privacy in a house full of wolves,” Cas speaks for the first time since her appearance.

“Right… wolf hearing. Even after all these years of knowing all these things, it never ceases to amaze me,” she says, while she stands awkwardly, fidgeting by the bed.

“If you’re here to change my mind about the ceremony, it’s not going to work. I love your son and I waited long enough and I refuse to wait any longer,” Cas sounds determined as he speaks, but his determination fails a little when he looks at her.

“I know. I’m not here to change your mind. I know that you don’t like me very much. The same goes for your family. At least that much is clear,” Mary says, a humorless laugh escaping her lips, while she points to the door from which Kali and Tessa left from, before putting her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and takes a deep breath. Cas turns his gaze to the floor.

“I didn’t mean for you to feel like I don’t want you for my son because of what you are. I know I reacted badly when I found out it was you the one my son had turned his life upside down for, but… I didn’t do it because I didn’t like you. Before coming here, the only people I wanted to protect were my family. My husband John, my son Sam, and my other son Dean. I needed to get my husband back, and I needed someone to help Sam get back to his wife, but after that, the only thing I wanted was for all of us to disappear and go live somewhere no one of this pack or any other pack would ever find us again,” she continues, before she sits next to him on the bed. Cas is still staring at the floor, unable to look at her.

“Before I came here, Bobby Singer revealed Dean’s past to me. I knew some vague things, when John and I decided to keep our son and his abilities hidden, but most of it was a mystery to me, something that I didn’t want to know, because if I did, I knew it would cause me pain. There is no worse feeling in the world than knowing that your kid is suffering or has suffered. That someone has hurt them. All these years that Dean was gone, there were these endless thoughts and fears running through my mind of what might have happened to him. Every time the phone would ring I thought someone would tell me they found Dean’s body lying in a ditch somewhere or worse. My husband, however, being a wolf himself, he could sense that it was not the case and in some deep level he knew that Dean had found a pack and he even told me so. But I couldn’t share his optimism. I was a human mother and I was terrified for my son. My little boy. Because even if he was twenty six when he went missing, he would always be my little boy. My little angel Dean. So, when I found out what he had gone through in every life he had ever lived and realized that it was happening all over again, I wanted to take him away from this mate that always seemed to be the center of all his problems and his pain. Don’t take it the wrong way, I never thought ill of Dean’s mate and I understood Dean’s love for them, but when I came here, even though I tried to be reasonable about it, I thought that when I’d look that girl in the eyes—because that is what I thought you were, a girl near Dean’s age—I would suddenly hate her. I thought that it would be easy for me to blame her for what was happening to my son, for all the years he spent away from us. But when I found out it was you, I just couldn’t,” she says and pauses, and Cas realizes she’s crying.

“What I saw when I met you was this innocent little boy who was dragged into a situation he should have never been a part of; a situation he did not deserve. A little boy, who as I found out, only a few years back had appeared on my porch, held inside my son’s arms in the form of a small pup. A little wolf who only wanted to play games and was missing Dean terribly whenever he was gone for too long, because he loved him too much and in a matter of days had become my son’s best friend. And suddenly my little angel Dean had become the bad guy, the one who was taking advantage of you. And all I wanted to do was protect you from him,” Mary explains, but her words instead of helping him understand her and her motives, only seem to infuriate Cas and causes him to look at her defiantly for the first time.

“I never needed protecting from Dean. Maybe in the years you spent away from him you forgot what type of person Dean is, but he never did. He never stopped being the good guy. He never tried to take advantage of me, even when I was throwing myself at him. Even when I told him time after time that we’re wolves and it’s normal. He didn’t want to give up on his humanity and his morals. And then you came and you hit him in front of me, and with one move you almost destroyed all the progress we had made and made him feel guilty, even though he wasn’t doing anything bad. Even though he was the first to always want to protect me and keep me a child as long as possible.”

“Castiel, I didn’t know—” Mary tries to defend herself, but Cas stops her.

“No, you didn’t. And after tonight I won’t have you interfering in our relationship ever again. Dean knows what’s right and he tries to be the best man he can. The best man anyone in his place ever could be. So, unless you have anything else to say, I need to go and have our bonding ceremony with him and let the rest of our lives begin,” Cas says and then stands up, looking at her one last time sitting on his bed, before he leaves.

 

~*~

 

Dean is kneeling on the altar across from Cas on the highest hill of the pack lands, dressed in green, the same way the boy is dressed in blue, to represent the original packs—the Winchester pack of the first Alpha and the Novak pack of the first Omega—while the moonlight of the full moon is shining on their faces.

The ceremony has been going for a while, but even though it’s one of the most important things he’s ever going to experience in his life, all he can do is stand there, looking inside Cas’ bright blue eyes and barely hearing anything Chuck, who is standing between them, dressed in white, officiating the ceremony, is saying. He can’t know what the boy is thinking, but just like Dean, he’s watching him as if he’s in trance, only looking inside the human’s eyes, like he’s the only one there, even though the entire pack is standing witness to their union.

The trance is only broken, when finally, reaching the last part of the ceremony, Dean feels Chuck pouring water over their heads and his fingers spread dirt on each of their foreheads, giving them the earth’s blessing, before he moves to the other elements. In the ceremony, a cloth drenched in both their blood is tying the Omega’s and Alpha’s hands together, and so Chuck, taking one edge of the cloth proceeds to put it on fire, and then blows air on it until the cloth burns away, disappearing like magic, without burning either of them. And just like that, it happens.

Dean shuts his eyes tightly as he feels his mind flooding with memories. Old memories of him and Cas, meeting for the first time, falling in love, and mating. They expected to only get some clear memories of their very last lives together and maybe some of the previous ones, as Henry told them had happened during their last union, when Henry was Dean’s brother. Although, back then, it hadn’t even been that. It had been only flashes, and because they had not believed in the visions, they once more had fallen victims to the curse. But now the memories are clear and many, going back thousands of years. Memories of all their lives together; meeting, falling in love, mating, and having children. The very feeling of being a wolf himself returns as well. Until finally, the memories that they all needed come rushing through his head. Those of death and pain and destruction. In only one second all their previous lives shatter in front of his eyes, and then he sees her. The woman who cursed them. The one going by the name of the wicked witch. A redheaded woman with eyes that burn a deep purple. And suddenly he knows her name; Rowena.

 

~*~

 

Dean is not sure how much time has passed the moment he opens his eyes again. He’s still on his knees and his eyes are in tears, when what is happening around him finally dawns on him. There are people screaming and fighting and he’s looking desperately to find Cas, who only seconds ago—or at least he thinks it was seconds—was just in front of him.

“CAAAS?!” he screams, but to no avail. Everyone is too busy fighting to pay his words any mind and tell him where the Omega is, while he can’t find anyone he recognizes. The only attention he gets is that of some strange wolves who are trying to get to him and attack him, but in the blink of an eye wolves of his own pack come out of nowhere to his rescue and hold them away, sinking their teeth viciously in the others’ flesh.

Most of the pack have turned to their wolf forms, while many of the ones who didn’t get the chance to turn are lying dead on the ground with their blood flowing from their open wounds like a river. He sees familiar faces among them, but none of his close family and friends.

“CAAAAAS?!” Dean screams again, but the pained howls around him drown his voice, until a deep howl is heard and everyone stops. And when they do, Dean sees him. A wolf with a light beige coat of fur that almost looks white under the moonlight is standing next to another big wolf with black fur and eyes that shine red even from where Dean is standing so many feet away. He has no idea who the black wolf is, but with the return of his memories, he knows for certain that the wolf with the light fur is Nicky—or Lucifer, as he calls himself now.

A few moments pass where everyone remains frozen in their place. The wolves that up until seconds ago had their jaws around each other’s necks have split into two different teams, still growling at each other. To his relief, Dean recognizes members of his own pack on the side standing closer to him, while the foreign wolves are standing closer to the newcomers. He sees his father, Sam, Benny, Michael, Gabriel and Ash coming even closer to him and circling him to protect him, but he never finds Cas or his mother, or Jess who are human and unable to defend themselves. Thankfully, he doesn’t see them among the corpses either.

When he looks back at the two wolves, there are no animals standing in their place anymore, but two men; Nicky and a man Dean does not recognize, until someone he _does_ know appears from behind the two, offering articles of clothing to them. _Meg_.

 _I should have known! I should have always known,_ he chastises himself.

He never trusted her, and now here she is, betraying them and standing side by side with their enemies as they’re getting dressed, and his hatred for her burns red inside his soul.

“I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure,” the man shouts from the distance in a British accent, which is the last thing Dean expected to hear in a situation like this. If things weren’t so dire, he’d laugh at the ridiculousness of a wolf with a British accent.

“And who might you be?” Dean shouts back, standing his ground.

“The name’s Crowley,” the man says, now fully clothed, walking closer to the human. Nicky also coming nearer as well, and causing his family, who have formed a protective circle around Dean, growl in warning.

“So, _you’re_ Crowley. I thought they had you in chains,” Dean recalls, the name tasting like venom on his tongue. He remembers what this monster wanted to do, when he tried to abduct Cas, back when his wolves beat the shit out of Dean, bringing him close to death, years ago in his apartment. What he’ll never know, however, even though he recognizes the pain and the disappointment, is why Nicky would ally himself with such a man. Perhaps he was wrong. It seems like he doesn’t know his own son after all. This man standing in front of him is not Nicky. He did not just change his name. He changed his personality along with it. Lucifer suits him just fine.

“Yes, well—that’s what I had them believe. That they were in control. But they never were. They thought my pack had turned their backs on me and that the other packs were on their side, but they never did and they never were. _Fear_ is what holds a pack together, and I happen to know a lot about how to induce it. And in time I gained a few new allies,” Crowley says, and someone steps from behind him.

_Bartholomew._

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Dean mutters under his breath, and the stupid Alpha actually smirks at him, having definitely heard him.

“Hey, Dean. How’s it going? Your friend Gadreel says hi, or at least I thought that’s what he was trying to say, when I was biting his neck off with my teeth. He was an old score that needed to be settled. No one disrespects me. And now it’s your turn,” Bartholomew brags through an evil smile. Gadreel was one of Crowley’s guards the past few months and he was one of Dean’s best friends. Now he will never see him again. He fell in the hands of their enemies, just like his brother Ezekiel had that first night the pack entered his life.

“All the rest of your little soldiers back in my pack lands had the same fate with Gadreel,” Crowley adds. “Perhaps you knew them too. They sure seemed to know _you_. _The Alpha that would unite everyone,_ they kept saying. But seeing you here now, you don’t seem like much. You’re not even a wolf. You’re the same pathetic human I met back at the doctor’s office,” he mocks, and gears start turning in Dean’s head and before long, he remembers.

“Did you know we have the same veterinarian? Dr. Milligan? I took my dog, Juliet, to him once. He’s a lovely doctor, but unfortunately he’s only good for the animals. You must not respect your spouse very much if you’re taking him to an animal doctor,” Crowley keeps taunting him and Dean is seething inside, his jaw clenching with anger.

“That’s why I’ll need you to hand over the lovely Castiel to me. Since the ceremony doesn’t seem to have had any effect on you, and all the dreams of your pack for the return of their big Alpha are crushed, perhaps I’ll take a shot at harnessing the power of the First Omega for myself and become the First Alpha. I already have his son’s blessing to do so anyway—” Crowley says, pointing to Lucifer, right next to him “—and a witch for a mother to help me,” he finishes, and the moment he does, after centuries of the last time she tortured his family, she appears in front of everyone, her eyes still shining this deep violet purple like he remembers, and Dean’s blood runs cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your continuous support! I hope you enjoyed! :)


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